Just Standing There
by Le Crepuscule
Summary: Edward's only aspiration is to get into the school of his dreams, & in the process has found himself perpetually marked as Geeky Geekerson at Forks High. One day a sudden fall changes his life forever. How will this nerd deal with a force like Bella? AH
1. Just Standing There

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer does.**

**Summary: Geekward strives to do his absolute best his entire life. He only ever cared about being completely focused on working his hardest to get into the school of his dreams. Can anything happen to help loosen him up? AH, M for Lemons.**

_This story was originally a O/s for the GeekWard Shuffle Contest & won the Best First Kiss Award. It has since been revised to fit the story line. The deleted parts of the O/s will be added at the appropriate chp. in the timeline. Enjoy!_**  
**

* * *

Impervious. That my dear friends, is one of many descriptions I have about the jovial Alice Brandon-Cullen, my perky adopted cousin. Sorry, where are my manners? I am Edward Anthony Masen, and currently it is the summer before my final school year at the dreaded hell hole I devoted my entire life to. Today is my eighteenth birthday, so I was coerced by the little sprite that a picnic with my life-long friends, and family should go to the beach since it would be a radiantly sunny day, and I need to stop obsessing over my _'technological crap.'_ Her words, not mine.

The beach is the last place that I want to be. I would much rather spend my time catching up on some light reading of Carlisle's medical dictionaries. I was currently going back and forth between being a doctor, like him, or an independent businessman; like my biological sperm donor, as I have come to refer to my 'real' dad as. You see, my mother Esme, was a mother at such a young age, when she was having a rendezvous with an older man. Little did she know that he was engaged to be married, and never planned to keep her around, other than the couple of months they spent together. Once he found out she was pregnant he must have moved or something because she never found him, and he gave her a false name. Ladies and gentleman I give you my dead beat dad. Luckily, my mom met Carlisle when he was still in his resident years at the hospital, and he had just started rounds in the labor and delivery unit the day I was born. From then on he treated me as if I were his own son, and never kept the truth from me.

Getting back to the present, I roll over onto my stomach to make sure I don't have to endure the treacherous thing that is a skin irritation caused by the UV rays in the sun from too much exposure, and continue with my crossword puzzle as the rest of the family revels in the brief change in atmosphere here in Forks, and jumps in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean.

I have always functioned in life for the sole purpose of making something of myself. It's simply the way things were. I've had an internship at the hospital filling papers, and running errands since I was old enough to get my workers permit. Also, I have volunteered in numerous different events, as well as been on the road to being the valedictorian since I don't know when. I only know that when it came time to start filling out college applications, I would be applying to Dartmouth. The establishment of knowledge that I have idolized since I was a baby practically. I have forgone almost all rites of passage in order to be ahead in one way or another. When I'm not studying or working or volunteering, I usually read or play with my '_technological crap.' _My favorite would be spending some private time by myself playing different computer games, or various different game systems to provide me amusement.

I have always been a very private person. It's not that I don't like anyone; it's just that I simply prefer some solitary time to allow myself to think and be whoever I want to be. My entire life I have endured 'suggestions' from practically everyone I know; whether it be my wardrobe, to who I choose to hang around, to the way I interact with others.

I've been asked time and again why I don't just make friends, or go out on dates. My answer is simple; there's no one that I can relate to in this town. Everyone is too busy with their social life to worry about doing the absolute best that they can in order to make it out of this vapid place. My sole mission is to avoid the judgmental stares of my peers, coworkers, and neighbors, and venture forth to make something of myself.

I have tolerated the laughs, the pranks and the nicknames; my favorite being _'geeky geekerson'_. The thing is that I'm just your average teenage guy; however, I have a brain to accompany it. My entire school career I was outcast from practically every social group. That being said, the only group that would put up with my presence was the geeks. I have socialized with the same group for many years, and let me tell you; I am probably the coolest geek you will ever meet. Not once have I snorted while laughing, I wear contacts now so that when a prank is pulled my glasses won't end up with tape holding the frames together, my braces were finally removed, I don't really watch television so I am not into the shows they are constantly badgering me to watch (Star Trek, Battlestar Gallactica, etc.), and I don't have acne. I do however wear pocket protectors, watch _'geeky movies' _(Star Wars; every episode, Xmen, Terminator, Monty Python, etc.), am very neatly presentable every day unlike the disheveled mess of my fellow classmates, idolize Yoda, and talk with such an extensive vocabulary many people have needed to make a pit stop to look in a dictionary many a time.

All of these qualities were apparently enough to put me in the recluse section. Just once I wish that everything could be different. I mean, I understand that with my track record I am going to be going places, and making something of myself; however, just once I would like to have a typical experience before I start making it on my own.

After finishing my crossword puzzle in record time I rolled over again sitting up, to take in everything that was going on around me. There were children making sand castles, parent's barbequing, and teenagers splashing each other in the frigid ocean. Hearing some humming coming closer to me from the most angelic voice I have ever heard, I look to my left and I declare the girl dancing around to the headphones in her petite ears is the most extraordinary being to ever walk the face of this planet we call earth.

She stopped to look out at the ocean, and to see her beautiful profile, with her divine brown hair falling out of the braid and blowing around her face in the breeze, and the sun enhancing the different tones with reds, gold's, and light browns… she was perfect. Not wanting to get caught ogling this Aphrodite I lay back down and close my eyes. Next thing I know someone is tripping over my legs, and lying right on top of me. Immediately my eyes fly open and were met with the most deep and resounding shade of brown I have ever seen before, or even knew existed. Taking a deep breath to control myself and my body's reactions, I take a closer inspection of the person lying across my body and discover her to be my Aphrodite.

"Frick, I swear… always happens to me... geeze," she muttered to herself before meeting my eyes. "Ok, I swear I'm not some creepy chick who goes around falling all over hot guys all the time… actually, I fall about ninety percent of the time, however, not usually on top of someone." She smiled sheepishly after she concluded with her rambling, looking around awkwardly.

"Not a problem. Really… are you alright…?" I inquired; concerned that she may have injured herself, while still wanting to know her name.

"Bella and I might have injured my wrist...but I'm alright otherwise," She admitted quietly, while nodding her head in the affirmative. Suddenly she jumped back (more like rolled off) while blushing madly once she realized she was still lying on top of me. "Sorry," she said embarrassed, as I honestly was tempted to hold her there, but it seems my body was just a little too stirred up to allow that to happen. I really hope she didn't notice that little tidbit. I wanted to wrap my body around hers, and keep Bella where she fit the best… firmly against my side.

Taking a deep breath in hopes to calm my raging hard on, all to no avail, I shifted so I could get a better look at her wrist. I suppose all of my knowledge was finally coming to use. She continued to blush like mad, and look around as if she was too embarrassed to meet my eyes. It seemed as if her arm was ok, maybe a sprain. I would have my dad look at it when he gets back, but I used the opportunity to continue caressing her skin; wanting desperately to place kisses there and help stop any pain she may have.

The amount of skin that was exposed to the elements was rendering me speechless. She was simply in a bikini top and some really tiny jean shorts. She was absolutely stunning. I had to repeat in my head like a mantra that a girl like her would never go for a guy like me. She would want someone who was confident and suave, not quirky and dull… perhaps a jock with lots of muscles. I mean, I work out since my cousin Emmett Cullen practically started forcing it on my scrawny form, however, I'm not ripped or anything.

"I think that it's just a minor sprain, however, my dad is a doctor, and if you'd like he could take a look at it when he gets back," I offered anxiously, desperately wanting to spend more time with the creature that happened to be gracing me with her presence for the time being.

"You're really sweet, but seriously, I've done the whole injury thing way too many times to count, so I wouldn't want to bother him on his day off," She responded, as a feeling of defeat surrounded me. She probably wants to get as far away from me as she possibly can. Wouldn't want to ruin her reputation. I could settle for observing from afar.

As she walked away, I couldn't help but smile at how perfect this birthday ended up being. That night I couldn't get the gorgeous brunette with the contagious smile out of my head; every time I closed my eyes I was met with her beauty.

_**3.14159265358979323846**_

When school started back up again, I was intrigued to hear about having a new student at our school, and was hoping beyond reason that it would be the breathtaking figure that had been haunting my dreams since my birthday.

When I was walking into homeroom, I was seated next to none other than the Beautiful Bella herself.

"Dude, I never got your name by the way, but how awesome is it that we get to sit next to each other?" She asked so excitedly, that I couldn't help but smile at her stupidly.

"My name is Edward Masen… I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," I chuckled slightly, nervously, as my heart raced faster due to her close proximity. I have always wished for a better name... but I was stuck with one that only old men ever have nowadays.

"I love your name… not many people go by that nowadays," she mumbled quietly since the room was filling up, obviously trying to make small talk. I swear my brain froze up at the very possibility of her wanting to talk to me.

"So, how is your wrist?" I asked, wanting to delve into the harmonious undertones of her voice.

Before she could answer none other than Mike fucking Newton himself came sauntering up to my girl wanting to save her from my nerd cooties. Wait did I just say MY girl? _I thought to myself frantically._ I focused back on what was happening just in time to hear her refuse his offer.

"You're insane," he said while leering at her like she was mental.

"Really, I thought I was a Pisces," she quickly retorted, while I just about had a heart attack. Could it be this beautiful girl just quoted Batman? No, it could be a coincidence; however this all made me curious about when her birthday was. I wanted to know every detail, and every thought that Bella has.

As the days went on Bella and myself became increasingly closer, and I was enjoying every minute of it. She and I happened to have a lot in common believe it or not. Apparently her and I were in the running for being valedictorian together. She was my polar opposite in many ways, though. Where I was easily stressed and a micro manager, she was extremely laid back and more of a go with the flow type. She's one of the most brilliant people I know. She sees the world in a way that no one else ever could.

"I just don't see the point in worrying my life away, ya know?" She told me one time during one of our many conversations.

I wasn't sure how much more I could take; every little thing about her drew me in. I was falling more and more in love with her by each passing moment we spent together; but she would never go for someone like me.

She was also insanely funny. When asked if she ever took things as seriously as she should, she responded with; "Haven't you ever heard of the healing power of laughter?"

She even questioned everything that I have ever lived for; the same question I have asked myself... what is the point of making it to the top if you're alone when you get there? When she started sticking up for me she still managed to fit humor in…

"So, like, let me get this straight," Jessica was saying with a sour look on her face, and acting as if it was taking everything in her to make sense of everything. "You'd rather hang out with this _loser_ than go to a party with Demitri?"

You see Bella was apparently asked to go on a date to Jessica's party, but Bella turned him down stating that she had already made plans with me. Which was technically true; only I wouldn't have minded (as her platonic friend, not the guy who is in love with her) if she wanted to reschedule. Not hearing what made Jessica start to stomp away, I did hear her grumbling under her breath quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail; "Fine I don't want to talk to you any way, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" Yea, I just about fell off my chair from laughing so hard at that one.

Apparently Demitri didn't exactly approve of her turning him down, because next thing I know while I'm standing at my locker, minding my own business I was hit square in the jaw with his fist.

"Edward," I heard my love shriek, causing the teachers to see what was going on, to which Demitri was asked to go to the office with him, and I was told to pay a visit the nurse to receive some ice.

Turning my head, I noticed that Bella had unshed tears in her beautiful orbs, and her lower lip was trembling.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a shaky voice, after clearing her throat.

"I undoubtedly, will be sweet girl," I had taken to calling her that when I accidentally let that slip one time. "We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life," I quoted C-3PO. Suddenly the look in her eyes changed, and I was curious as to the reason.

"I bet I know how to make it better," she whispered cryptically.

Leaning in so I could hear her properly I asked her what she had in mind. Suddenly I felt her fragile hand delicately touching my cheek, as she leaned in and softly pressed her soft pillow- like lips on the bruise that was surely forming by now.

"Is that better, at all?" She questioned.

"That-That's m-much better," I stammered out, becoming increasingly more nervous as my heart sped up. I haven't stuttered in years, it was just something she seemed to do to my body, and I couldn't deny how perfect she felt with her body being closer than ever before.

Without anymore words she leaned into me again and kissed the entire area, before making her way to my mouth and stopping just short while looking uncertainly into my eyes. Finding what sliver of confidence I had, I leaned in to softly touch my lips to hers. Our lips caressed one another in an intimate embrace that soothed my frazzled nerves, and eliminated the ache in my chest that was constantly present since the day I first saw her.

Pulling away to catch her breath, I continued to place small chaste pecks first on her top lip, before showing the bottom one the same reverence. I was tender, and soft, and it was the most delightful thing I have experienced thus far. Quickly Bella attacked my mouth with fervor; moving her lips frantically with my own. It was feverish, desperate, passionate; we kissed with the wanton longing that lovers do when they realize forever is a possibility. When her fingers wound themselves in my hair I felt a gentle tug and gasped, allowing her to slip her tiny pink tongue in my mouth and massage my tongue with her own.

Slowing down, I opened my eyes to see her gazing at me with so much love and adoration, which I knew was reflected in my own eyes, and said the words I had been longing to hear; "Love you forever, Lover Boy."

Repeating the sentiment, I was smiling like an idiot, and had never been more grateful to be punched in the face my whole life.

* * *

**Review? Favorite Parts?**

**Check out my blog (link on profile) for PicTeases & info on everything else.  
**


	2. Rainy Day

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, and I simply manipulate the characters to my every whim ;P**

**I want to send out a mondo apology for how long this chapter has taken to send out, but I wasn't originally planning on continuing it... I was convinced from my lovely readers to do so, therefore these chapters will come when I am inspired to write for this topic, as I am currently finishing up my other story. Please be patient, I can only hope that you all enjoy this enough to continue on in their journey with me. Also, before I forget, all of my stories are being loaded onto The Writer's Coffee Shop (link on profile) in case anything should happen to them on this site; _Better safe than sorry!_ **

**_THESE CHAPTERS WILL BE DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT WERE EXCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL O/S! _Remember there was a 7 year time gap, so this is basically filling in the blanks :) The original O/s has been spliced (half of it is now chapter 1) and the rest will be a part of the last chapter (before the epilogue).  
**

**If you didn't know already, I have posted the O/s that I wrote for 's Haiti Relief Effort on my profile, so let me know what you think about it. Anywho, more info. for this story at the bottom!**

**LINKS AND A POLL ON MY PROFILE FOR THIS STORY, SO CHECK IT OUT! Now go enjoy everyone. x**

* * *

_Previous events to this chapter:_

_Without anymore words she leaned into me again and kissed the entire area, before making her way to my mouth and stopping just short while looking uncertainly into my eyes. Finding what sliver of confidence I had, I leaned in to softly touch my lips to hers. Our lips caressed one another in an intimate embrace that soothed my frazzled nerves, and eliminated the ache in my chest that was constantly present since the day I first saw her._

_Pulling away to catch her breath, I continued to place small chaste pecks first on her top lip, before showing the bottom one the same reverence. I was tender, and soft, and it was the most delightful thing I have experienced thus far. Quickly Bella attacked my mouth with fervor; moving her lips frantically with my own. It was feverish, desperate, passionate; we kissed with the wanton longing that lovers do when they realize forever is a possibility. When her fingers wound themselves in my hair I felt a gentle tug and gasped, allowing her to slip her tiny pink tongue in my mouth and massage my tongue with her own._

_Slowing down, I opened my eyes to see her gazing at me with so much love and adoration, which I knew was reflected in my own eyes, and said the words I had been longing to hear; "Love you forever, Lover Boy."_

_Repeating the sentiment, I was smiling like an idiot, and had never been more grateful to be punched in the face my whole life._

**Edward POV:**

It's so strange how your priorities can change in an instant. From the first moment that I saw Isabella Swan, my entire world seemed to revolve around her. It was so hard to explain, the compulsion to constantly be in her vicinity; whether we were nothing more than friends or not, the need was still there. My life had changed for the better, the moment that she came tumbling down onto me.

My parents had noticed the change in my demeanor and had started to ask more questions everyday. They would keep asking how school was; _it's like saying, "How was that drive-by shooting?" You don't care how it was, you're lucky to get out alive._ I also observed how they were more enthusiastic about things going on with me. I didn't necessarily mind because it wasn't as if they were doing it to censor me; they simply were thriving in my new experiences being their only child.

I used to only think about how much I wanted out of this recluse town, which I still do think about, only now, there is a stunning brunette on my arm. Said brunette was surely giving me a run for my money at the moment to being the class valedictorian. Of course, I wouldn't mind losing to someone, as long as it was Bella; I would give her anything she ever desired if she'd only let me.

After our impromptu make-out session in the hallway that fateful day, it was extremely tortuous to wrap my mind around the fact that she didn't react negatively, and knock my lights out. Instead she was sweet, and concerned about _me_ of all people. I didn't quite understand the way that her mind worked, but I will be thankful for the slight malfunction each and every day of my life; whether things are meant to continue as they are between us or not. I was no longer Edward Masen, no that ship had sailed long ago. Now, I was Bella's Edward and there was nothing in the entire Universe (no matter how infinite; black holes and all) that can change me. Gone was the guy that preferred to stay quiet and simply endure life, and who desired a solitary life. I am now unwaveringly devoted to the intelligent, slight girl who was everything I had ever wanted and so much more.

I still sweat bullets around that girl; I hope that never changes. I love to see how shy she can be, while still not giving a care in the world about what everyone thinks about her. She dresses how she wants, and moves to her own beat; _Meh, so it's a clumsy beat, but it's still a beat all the same. _

She always sees things in such a different light than anyone I ever knew. Did you know she once told me that she was envious of the rain? No, it's true… She said that she loved how it had the ability to wash away the old, and bring peace in its wake. I then countered her saying how it simply wasn't plausible since there were such things as hurricanes, and what not. Of course I should have known she would have a come back.

"Well, it only does that if it's pissed off…," she had started; not completely making sense, and yet still finding a way to be endearing all the while, "or you could go with the more logical reason, and believe that it's there for a reason; maybe life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain, ya know? Everything has a reason, and every action has a reaction… Stew on that one for a little while, Lover boy."

Nothing had really changed between us; we were still the best of friends, and she still hung out at the dork table with me in the cafeteria, but the only difference was now we each knew how the other felt, and it was now 'alright' for us to kiss one another. _Yes, I'll admit it… the latter is my favorite part._

I didn't quite know how to act around her; I wanted to be more for her, and know how these idiosyncrasies worked, but the truth is I simply didn't. I usually was the brain of every operation, and knew even the most miniscule detail of anything thrown at me, however, when it actually comes down to us being together in the way that I am compelled to I simply am useless.

I had no one who I could go to in instances such as these. The most in depth conversation contrived with the handful of friends I held went something like this, when Bella was still a noob in our school;

"I believe that the peanut butter would be the most logical choice in a situation such as that," Ben had stated confidently, while pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I disagree, I think that the consistency of butter would actually aid, rather than restrain," Angela countered, making us all groan; they were always going back and forth in debates in the most nonsensical topics. _Really, who cares whether peanut butter or plain butter is the better choice in eating on your toast in order to make your time more efficient…?_

"Do you guys always get into this kind of banter? Now don't get me wrong, I find it all very… informative, but I was just wondering," Bella inquired, while she blushes a light pink in the apple of her cheeks. _No, not those cheeks you perv… not that I was thinking about them or anything._

"We get into some pretty heated debates over the cheapening of the franchise by creating Episodes I-III in _Star Wars_. I'm of the mindset that they never should have been filmed. JarJar Binks is a travesty of the highest order." Ben explained. If this was his attempted at impressing her, I don't know if it worked; _Epic Fail. _And yet to my horror, the rest of the table nodded in their agreement, and started in on that particular debate (I may not have watched all of the different shows and such that the rest of the group did, however, they were sure to discuss it all until it was permanently engrained into my memory whether I wanted to know it or not; I'm over educated in the things I shouldn't have known at all… that quote seems appropriate for all of us).

Needless to say, I could have used a little help. When she says my name or gives me a little wave, I get the most curious sensation of contentment. I loved how vibrant she was, and how she immediately called attention to anyone in the room as the teachers struggled to teach us of all the wonders of the world; I couldn't spare them the time to pay attention. She was my own personal wonder, after all.

I had taken to calling her "mon agnelle or my lamb" as her clumsiness always reminds me of when a baby lamb tries to stand on it's own for the first time. She would try to pretend that it annoys her that she doesn't know what it means, but I can see the smile playing on her tiny lips as she rolls her bright, beautiful eyes at me.

I was shocked beyond reason when Bella cracked one day as we were gathering our supplies at the end of the day and simply asked me out on a date herself; mind you, I was planning on asking her… I simply hadn't worked up the nerve yet. That brings me to the present, where I was dressing in a plain button up with jeans, since Bella said it would be casual. I was extremely curious, since the only hint I was given was that we were going to have dinner while entertaining ourselves. _Could she have made it any more cryptic than that…?_

I was extremely nervous, especially since this was my first ever date; I didn't know how to act or what to do. I wanted to deserve the deity that had enamored my heart so, and I didn't want to let her down. I knew in my heart that she would love me regardless if I did something wrong. Still in my mind I wanted to be the typical guy and sail smoothly through the evening. _I wonder how this all comes naturally to some guys… If I'm not careful, by the end of the evening I'm going to be drenched from the nervous sweat I could feel breaking out._

As I walked outside, I noticed how muggy it seemed and how the air had a distinct humid quality to it that led to the conclusion that it was bound to be raining today and that concerned me briefly. Of course, maybe if I brought my bigger coat I could wrap Bella inside of it with myself to keep her warm… _Yes, definitely bringing that one._

When I pulled up to her house, I immediately saw my love hop off the stairs she was sitting in her front yard. She looked adorable wearing black jeans that hugged her tantalizing curves, and a red jacket that said 'free hugs' in bold black print on the front. _I'll be hard pressed not to take advantage of that too many times this evening._

I jumped out of the car with the intention of getting the door for her, since that was one of the only things that I knew to do being that my mother had it ingrained into my cranium from such a youthful age. Of course, Bella was the more dominant personality in our relationship, so she didn't even pause when I was opening my door to do the same to her own and drop unceremoniously down into the soft leather seats of my father's old silver Volvo that he let me have last year.

I drove as she made idle conversation and gave me the directions to our destination. I soon gathered that we were headed to Port Angeles, and that made me even more curious as to what we were doing. I would give my input into her chatter whenever asked a question, but I was simply much too nervous to join in on her enthusiastic demeanor, however she didn't seem to mind too terribly.

Once in town I was reminded that it was time for the Clallam County Fair, and that's when it finally made sense. We were going to be dining while entertaining ourselves; clever. I frequently noticed the lull in our conversations, and was caught one too many times to be comfortable, watching Bella and trying to figure out what was going through her mind. What I wouldn't' give to simply have a glimpse into that fascinating mind of hers.

Being that it was a Saturday and only a little after noon, most of the shops were open so we ate at the Olympic Bagel Company (at Bella's insistence; apparently bagels are better in the afternoon), and looked through the bookstore to grab one or two things before we headed over to the booths. As much as I tried to loosen up (and I did accomplish it once or twice) there was still an uncomfortable mood in the air, and I hated to think that I was the cause of it. I guess eventually Bella was a bit exasperated with me, although she didn't show it.

"Don't try to figure me out; just love me," she told me as she grabbed my hand to drag me to a particular booth that had caught her eye.

"Your hands and my hands have a peculiar way of fitting together, Mon agnelle," I informed her suddenly, and then felt a slight twinge of heat in my cheeks when I registered that I had said that stupid statement aloud.

"Yea, I know… I love that they do," she replied sincerely with a beaming smile, and that helped ease my nerves, and allowed me to stop berating myself in my head.

When we had made it to the front of the line, I immediately knew that I would be able to win this one. I paid for two rounds of the elementary ring toss game and then set myself over to the side and turned my body slightly horizontal to my target so that I would have my trajectory lined up correctly. _Yea, it used to be my favorite game as a kid… so sue me!_

I loved to see the way her eyes lit up when I won the prize for her, however she did seem a bit confused as to why I would choose the lamb of all the choices, however she still planted the holy grail of all kisses on me for doing it. If that's the response I get every time, I may just end up broke by the end of the night.

Of course, being the independent, determined little thing that my girl friend is she was hell bent on reciprocating the gesture, and winning a prize for me in return. I wasn't quite sure what she was looking for until we came across the arcade that had been set up. I was extremely leery the moment it became clear that she was headed for the blasted dancing game that girls always seem so fond of. Don't get me wrong it's a great game… I just don't want my girl getting hurt. _Of course, maybe then she could be the naughty patient while I doctor her back to health… hmm._

"Ok, now don't look at me like that, Lover Boy… I can actually dance some. My mom had me in these frickin' alternative dance and ballet classes back in Phoenix, and believe it or not I was rarely injured doing it. I just don't like dancing because I was told to; it's more of an expression don't you think? Sometimes you just have to let your emotions out in the only way you know how-"

Yep, I nipped that sucker in the bud and kissed her mouth because she sounded so cute trying to justify herself for absolutely no reason at all. I never really thought about it before, however, a kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous. Even though she seemed a bit dazed after wards, she still braved the evil machine and set herself up to start. Imagine the surprise of my life when I found out that _my_ clumsy girl could dance like no other. It was so tortuously sexy to see the way her body moved around. _As if I needed to feel any more awkward tonight._

I was so entranced by the beauty in front of me that I hadn't even noticed the crowd of superfluous horn dogs closing in on her vicinity. I really should have been paying more attention.

I vaguely heard the cackling behind me, but I was too focused on making sure that Bella wouldn't be hurt (cough, liar, cough) to pay them any mind. It was only when I felt the hard push from behind me that I managed to snap out of it; luckily Bella had wracked up all of her points, getting a perfect score, so she took her tickets and joined me at that moment, barely looking like she had just exerted herself; _Too bad._

"Look what the pussy dragged in, guys; it's _Eddie_," Mike said in a condescending voice, and made me grimace when he used that nickname. _Why of all the days and places did they have to make an appearance at our FIRST date?_

"Yea, but look what _Eddie_ brought with him…," Tyler paused to lick his horrendously chapped lips. "It's Bella, you guys… what a wonderful coincidence. Tell me hot stuff, what did this douche do to convince you to come out with him today? 'Cause I bet anyone around here that I could do him ten times better."

I turned my attention to Bella and noticed that she had gotten back from the prize collection counter and was holding a stuffed lion; _how appropriate and yet not._ I definitely didn't want to be here with them, and I wasn't looking forward to them doing anything to Bella, so I tried side stepping them once I had grabbed her hand and she gave me a roll of her eyes to show her annoyance with the disruption. Should have known the lemurs would have blocked my path; the last thing I want today is a confrontation.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, dip shit," Demitri slurred; _great, the Neanderthal has been drinking… just my firkin luck._

"We were just about to meet my dad, you know him… he's the Chief of Police… at the diner we planned on; isn't that right, baby?" Bella intervened during my brood fest; can't say I blame her… It's not like I had an idea of what to say just now.

"That's perfect because I've been meaning to meet up with the Chief and discuss a couple of things with him; so Eddie boy, meeting the father already, huh? That must be some serious shit you got going on between the two of you. I can't believe you're already so whipped; look at this douche you guys, he's already holding her hand and going to meet daddy."

Just as I was about to open my mouth and defend myself for the first time in my life, I heard the booming voice of my cousin Emmett behind me.

"Leave them the fuck alone if you know what's good for you ass wipe, pardon my French dearest," he added the second part jokingly to Rosalie who I just noticed was standing beside him with the most hostile baby mama look on her face. _Perhaps she does like me a smidgen after all… Who knew?_

"What the fuck ever, losers… come on guys, they're not worth it," Jessica Stanley, Mike Newton's main lemming, told everyone causing them to disperse.

"Wassup Waldo? Who's your friend?" He then turned on me; _just firkin' lovely._

"Hey man, this is Bella Swan, my girlfriend," I informed him proudly, and noticed Bella smile at me and hug me around the waist.

"No shit!" He exclaimed boisterously, causing a few heads to turn and of course resulted in Rosalie admonishing him as she slapped him on the back of his head.

I was rather irked with the turn of events of the day, until I heard the smooth, butter-like quality of Bella's wondrous laugh softly at my side. Suddenly I realized that all of this is well worth it; I would put up with almost anything that was thrown at me in order to hear that laugh and be in her very presence for the rest of my life.

I wasn't necessarily surprised when we made our way outside and it was drizzling outside. I decided that we were going to go to the local café and get a cup of the green tea that Bella is so fond of. It was also a tiny bit of a walk, so I was able to put that coat to good use and hold the love of my life close to my chest as her teeth started chattering; it was the most marvelous sensation to feel her lithe body molded to mine.

We made idle chat about various things, only I was more aware of her every move and expression; I noticed every time she brushed her fingers along my own every couple minutes, and how she would twirl her hair as her eyes had a far away quality to them when she was thinking. When I inquired about her selecting the lion, she seemed to remember something as she delicately placed it in front of me and told me how the little lamb needed her strong lion to protect her. I may sound like a girl, but hearing those poetic words escape from her soul seemed to warm my heart entirely. She seemed more contemplative, and tender now then she was earlier. Before our encounter with _The Borg, _she was more enthusiastic and excited; I was frantically trying to figure out how to alleviate the chasm that seemed to be forming between the two of us.

"When I was young I wanted to live in the clouds," Bella murmured suddenly, after she had been staring at the atmosphere for a moment.

"That seems extremely fitting for you," I replied honestly.

"Yea, something about them has always seemed so free and light, and pure… There are no negative emotions and condescending people who think that because they follow an unwritten rule to make people like them, that it somehow makes them better than others… It's just not right, ya know?"

I did know what she meant. Growing up in a small town is tough all on it's own, but being different in a small town was much more challenging. I may have changed a lot in the recent years, becoming more of my own person, however, it doesn't mean that I wasn't once a lot worse off then I am now. I was a glasses wearing, academic loving, stuttering geek, who was immature in my growth. Essentially I may be the same person, but I sure came quite a bit of ways to get to where I am now. If there was a prank that has once been thought of, it's probably happened to me, I was teased and exiled because of all of these aspects that made me who I was. I often wondered if I would ever get passed the things that had previously happened to me, and simply start anew. _Only one way to find out I suppose._

This date may have had it's optimum moments as well as it's downfalls, but let me tell you, the end more than made up for it. We had mutually agreed that it was probably for the best if we give our parting a proper farewell before we reached home, since we knew that today was the Chief's day off and he was sure to have missed his ritualistic fishing trip for a change in order to assure his daughter's safety.

The rain had since let up, and I knew that I wanted to fully profit from the opportunity I was granted, so keeping my eyes open I slowly leaned down towards her as I placed my hands on either side of her head and allowed my nose to brush along hers for a moment. When she began to close her eyes I took that as her acquiescence and mimicked her action as I slowly brushed my lips along her own; first her top lip then her bottom one, paying an equal tribute to both. Leisurely I began to apply more pressure to her satin-like, pillows of deliciousness, before beginning to harmonize them together.

Growing more secure as the kiss developed, I felt her tiny hands snake under my jacket to the warmth of my skin through the fabric, and I fisted my hands in her hair in order to manipulate the position of her head just so, and optimize our pleasure. Needless to say things gradually evolved to where she was laying horizontally in the back of my automobile with my body covering her own. I knew that with more time I would eventually know how to kiss; not generally speaking, because it was my hope that I only ever knew how to kiss _one girl_… My Girl. So far I had calculated that she enjoys, starting with a more softer and tender path first, and stealing swipes of her tongue with mine briefly, before letting things unfold from there.

All too soon we had to break apart for air, and we switched our positions so that she was casually relaxing her body on top of my own as I played with her soft auburn brown hair that was in it's natural waves. I deeply cherished this moment, and vowed to make more of them to come, before the time came when we needed to be heading back home.

Once we reached her house, I was officially uncomfortable with the silence and couldn't help fidgeting as I glanced at her continuously through the corner of my eye as she simply stared out the window the whole drive home. Usually I would relish in the time I was granted to my own thoughts, however, with everything that had occurred tonight, I was deeply worried about what was going through Bella's mind.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, wanting to know if I had done something wrong. My heart sank a little as she simply gave me a weak smile and a little half shrug to my inquiry.

"Edward, I love you…," she paused, and I took that opportunity to return the sentiment.

"You know I love you too," I said, although my breath hitched upon seeing tears forming in her eyes before she could avert them from my penetrating gaze.

"I know you do… and if you would simply realize what is right in front of your face…," she whispered, and stopped to take a deep breath before resuming, "We are so perfect for each other, we complete one another in every single way… and if you would simply realize this; really and truly know this… then we could be something so great together… almost magical."

As my anxiety grew, my heart felt like it was going to beat in this erratic rhythm perpetually, and I was frantically trying to come up with a cause for this conversation to come up. I had been so sure that I was doing things right this evening, and was watching everything that I was saying in order to ensure the most positive outcome; as I didn't want this to be our last rendezvous together.

"My point is that I want you to take some time to really think about what is going on between us… this is _our_ relationship to do with as we please… there's a quote; '_Love has no boundaries, and passes over borders, thoughts and imagination…' _by Marius Gherghinescu. I want you to really think about where we're going with this. I don't want things to constantly be awkward between the two of us; _I love you! _I don't want you to try to be someone you're not; if I did I would be with that person…

"I love how you ramble when you're nervous, and you run your fingers through your hair; even though it took a hell of a lot of effort to make it tamable. I love how you know the most mundane facts on everything, and how you use such big words when you speak and don't even realize it. Most of all I simply love that you are one of a kind; that right there is all I can ever ask for… I fell in love with a 'geeky', social outcast and that is who I want to be with. I'm not saying any of this to hurt your feelings, and I don't want to break up or see other people or what ever the frick it is that people say, I simply want you to take some time to think, and theorize or hypothesize or whatever it is you do. You need to let your heart defy your logic, Edward… I'll see you later; I love you, Lover Boy." And just like that our date was over and my head was left spinning.

I was in a stunned silence at the moment. I hadn't thought that by me not wanting to mess the date up and calculating my every actions would be taken the wrong way by her. I already knew that we were each other's yin to their yang, and how we were meant to be together; I simply didn't want to scare her away with my intensity. Perhaps she was right in a sense though, I did need to take sometime to really think about the two of us. She hadn't done anything to warrant my cautiousness, she had been with me from the first day I saw her on the beach and yet my desire to be more for her had been the catalyst. I knew emotionally that our love was equal, however logically it simply didn't seem to add up. How could perfection love simplicity? The same thought continued to pass through my head; _resistance is futile. Perhaps they had a point. _To me, the unavoidable conclusion was that she would simply never match my love for her, but it seems that at every turn she is bound and determined to change my mind.

Just before sleep over took me, I took the opportunity to text Bella what would never change, before succumbing to the darkness;

_-Mon Agnelle, I love you to the moon and back, Lover Boy. x_

* * *

**Reviewers receive TEASERS!**

**Favorite parts? Suggestions? Let me know :) I felt that Bella's response was well founded, seeing as how he is still very much holding back from her in a way...**

**So far I have this story planned out to be at a total of 10 chapters, unless someone would like to see something specific that I will be very much willing to try adding in, so we will see how this progresses over time... Again these chapters are mostly going to be snap shots of what was missed in the original O/s, like all of the firsts and major occurences that happen between the two of them. Oh, would anyone want a Bpov at some point?**

**Love y'all!**


	3. At Every Chance

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.. blah blah blah ;)**

**So a super major huge thanks goes out to my new beta! I'm not going to make you all wait any longer, but I have more of an A/n at the bottom... Enjoy!  
**

* * *

I spent the majority of that night and the following morning accessing what Bella had discussed with me the previous evening. I now realize that I was constantly considering my every action and reaction. It's not that I had really done it on purpose, it's simply a natural response that I have had since I was old enough to understand the concept of cause and effect. The last thing I ever wanted to do was to hurt Bella in any way, and yet it seems that my behavior had indirectly done just that. I needed to get out of the mindset that there was the unavoidable conclusion of me not being enough for her... she loves me, so that couldn't be true.

I had a constant stream of thoughts brewing in my mind, however. I specifically concentrated on the words that Bella had said to me before we parted ways. She had said '_this is _our_ relationship to do with as we please,' _and I was bound and determined to simply _feel_ for a change. I know realistically that this will take some time, but I am fairly positive that she will be willing to help me along; which frankly, was a completely foreign concept to me, being that I've always been so independent.

I made a silent vow to myself that I would simply do what feels right from now on, like Bella is always urging me to do. I could do that... right? When the sun had officially risen, I promptly got out of bed and commenced my morning routine. I was a tad bit anxious to get to Bella before she left for school, because I was determined to take her in my Volvo in lieu of her decrepit truck. This could be my way of showing her that I was capable of doing things spur of the moment if I really wanted to.

I don't really know what I was expecting to see when I arrived; probably what my Bella usually looks like, the most angelic beauty wrapped up in a very random package. What was awaiting me was not what I expected in the least, though if I'm being honest with myself, it's one of the things that I love most about this girl. However, the sight that I pulled up to was altogether confusing and humorous. I was dressed in a gamer tee and jeans, typical right? Her? She was wearing these tight black jeans that accentuated her- sorry, that's off topic- a black batman logo t-shirt and converse sneakers... not too bad all things considered. That is until you add the thick black framed eyeglasses that were sitting on her face and her pristine ponytail (as opposed to the way she usually left it loose in her natural waves). She looked mesmerizing no matter how she dressed, but I simply couldn't come up with a reason as to why she would try to change who she was; _maybe she is going through one of those identity __crises__?_

I stepped out of the car, and walked around to her side as she followed silently behind me as if nothing was different. She knows how I am with details, so surely she is waiting for me to say something, perhaps like a test. I'm always watching my mom change around her hairstyle or nail polish colors to get a reaction from my father... could that be what this was? Because this seemed a little too extreme, and I didn't think that was in Bella's personality. _So undoubtedly confusing!_

"You look radiant today, Bella," I said to her after clearing my throat, and deciding that I was just going to 'bite the bullet' so to speak.

"Thank you, and you look as handsome as ever," she replied as she fixed my collar a little, and gave me a small peck on the lips that left me reeling. Don't get me wrong, I cherish all of her kisses, but on a typical day, I am the one trying to pull myself away to restrain ourselves; she must have noticed the look of confusion that crossed my face.

"Silly Edward, we don't want to be late for our homeroom, now do we?" she slightly chastised, before _gracefully_ sitting in the passenger seat and looking at me expectantly, awaiting our imminent departure. Shaking my head to myself, I gently closed her door before going around to the driver's seat, still completely and utterly confounded.

Driving to the school was a silent affair, and I found myself missing all of Bella's little comments and perspectives on the world around her; something was most definitely amiss, I just didn't know what. My already sluggish brain was fervently trying to search for something that I may have done. If only I had acquired a bit more sleep the night before, then I would have possibly solved this conundrum. I found myself inwardly rejoicing when I finally heard her voice as I offered her my assistance out of the vehicle.

"I was thinking of having us try something different at lunch with everyone today," she casually mentioned.

"Oh? What sort of different are you referring to?" I inquired, honestly intrigued by what she may come up with.

"I was contemplating something fun and academic... so why not a word game?" she suggested as we made it to her locker.

"Are you sure?" I asked her dubiously, usually her lunchtime suggestions involved us dining 'separate from the others for more privacy'... _Yes, I'm sure you know that she wasn't suggesting we compare our Biology notes in private. Not that I would complain either way, I'd still be in her vicinity._

The day went by pretty much uneventfully, and I found myself perpetually downtrodden with the lack of warmth that surrounded me, even when Bella was around me. I didn't want things to be this way. I simply wanted to be with _her_, but it seemed as if this was an impossible feat. I could only set my hopes on the fact that this won't be how things will always be, that was my mantra; _just for toda__y, just for today, just for today._

By the time that I arrived outside the classroom of Bella's last period prior to our lunch break, I was close to my breaking point; that is until I saw her send me a brilliant smile across the room before Angela nudged her in the side, and she slipped into that indifferent mask once again. While I may have only suspected that there was something going on before, now my theory had been confirmed, and I was determined that I simply had to wait out the ride that Bella had me on for the day.

I guided Bella across the room to our table before pulling her chair out for her and situating myself beside her, and listening to her address the table of our friends.

"I have a proposal to make for right now," she declared, before arranging her food items in front of her from her bag and setting some in front of me with a pointed look. _Yes, it looks like I'm going organic now as well._

"This proposal... what does it entail?" Ben immediately piped up, looking suspiciously at Bella as if she was setting him up to battle against Darth Vader alone, and with no weapons to boot. I had to shake my head to get that insane visual out of my head.

"You all are always debating, and this time I want us to do something a little less structured...," she trailed off as she saw the differing ranges of intrigue on everyone's faces.

"You do understand that you have to have a vote put into place for this sort of thing? You can't simply walk up and sugges-," Jared began before Ben cut him off.

"What did you have in mind," he relented with an eye roll at Jared's semantics. I think Jared was simply jealous that Bella hadn't shown any interest in him, and that's why he was always giving her such a hard time; I would feel bad, but I find that I cannot, seeing as it would contradict my own happiness in the process.

"A word recognition game, I start with a word and Edward would say the first thing that comes to mind for him, then we would continue to go around the table with what everyone thinks of based off of the former person's answer... any questions?" I was amused as I watched everyone's head's simultaneously move as if they had practiced the move without me; _I didn't know whether to be thankful or angry._

"Enough of the explanations. What's the first word?" Kim demanded to know, always eager to do something new. I was slightly aggravated with the tone she was taking with my Bella, but she merely giggled before starting us off.

"Green," she said, before taking a bite of her organically grown salad.

"I thought of beans," I muttered while looking at the offending bean in my own salad... _is that normal to add?_

"I say brown," Ben decidedly announced with a nod of his head.

"I thought of leaves, like crunchy, dead leaves," Angela retorted from his side, as if to challenge him; _typical._

"Alright, I think of Fall," Kim offered.

"Windy days," Jared said dryly.

"Cold," Sarah said as she adjusted her scarf, obviously projecting what she was feeling into her words.

"Rain?" Laura offered, but it was more of a question than a statement.

"Jacket," Bella immediately responded.

"Coat," I offered distractedly, too busy trying to study what was going through Bella's mind at the moment.

"Wait, does that count? It's like the same thing; I think he should have a point taken away for that one!" Ben immediately stepped in, always being the most competitive of us all.

"Oh shut up, it's just a word game, there's no points... stupid," Angela whispered the last part under her breath, but I think everyone still caught it, because Ben set his death glare onto her face the very next second.

"Tote, because it rhymes," she cut in with a raised eyebrow in Ben's direction as she explained her reasoning. I stifled a laugh as I saw Ben fuming at having lost his turn.

"Bag," Kim said.

"Tired," Jared announced through a yawn.

"Sleep," Ben cut in, wanting to have his say before the round ended.

"Black," Sarah hissed as she looked at Ben with disdain.

"Blue," Laura answered more assuredly this time.

"Supercalifragilistic expialidocious," Bella murmured when it was her turn, and everyone gaped at her; I was beaming proudly. I knew my Bella was still in there... _the question was what was going on with her today?_

"WHAT?" Ben exploded. Everyone around the cafeteria snickered and made rude comments about him because of it, not that he noticed or anything. "How the hell did you come up with that one? It makes no sense, have you gone insane-?" I don't think anyone was more shocked than Ben when Angela cut him off by laying a kiss on him suddenly.

"Does it really matter how she came up with that answer?" Angela asked him after she pulled back. Ben seemed incapable of speech at the moment so he simply shook his head at her with a look of wondrous awe in his eyes. "Yeah, I didn't think so," she sounded smug as she patted his cheek and sat back down. From the corner of my eye, I could see Bella smirking to herself as she gathered her things to throw away since lunch seemed to be coming to an end.

Prior to her achieving her goal, I swooped in and gathered all of her belongings under one arm, with my backpack slung on my shoulder before grabbing her arm sliding my hand down her forearm, brushing my fingers across the exposed skin of her wrist, and finally entwining her fingers with mine. When I glanced back up at her from under my lashes, I saw that there was a deep blush softly caressing her cheeks in the way that I so desperately longed to see on more personal parts of her body.

Once I was able to shake those thoughts, I led Bella to our classroom and endured what seemed to be an endless amount of silence between the two of us. It was critical that I figured out how to make the tension dissipate, however, she had yet to give me an indication to inform me if it would be possible.

Once we were nearly at the door to the class that the two of us shared together, I pushed her up against the wall (gently of course) and attached my mouth to hers. She seemed most perplexed at first, before she relaxed into a state equivalent to melting against me, and responded in kind. The feeling of her lips being crushed to mine, and the way that her fingers felt as they caressed my face in their usual manor, was the most pleasant feeling in the world; I hadn't realized just how much I _needed_ to feel this, to help ground me, and reassure me of our connection. After a minute or so, I backed up so I was merely brushing my lips along hers, as we evened our breathing out together. I felt the need to say something, so I took a deep breath and spoke what was going through my head at that moment.

"I love you. Not maybe, not possibly, not someday. Right now, this minute. The fact is I've loved you for a long time. I even know when it started; you were looking out at the ocean, and swaying to the music you were listening to, all before you even knew that I existed. It was at that moment that I realized that I love you, which led to me finding out that on top of that, I trust you, I need you, I admire you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you; I will do everything in my power to be what you need, so you will never want for a thing," I breathed out, as earnestly as possible.

To my astonishment, she pursed her lips and looked up at me before whispering, "You already are...," she trailed off with a heavy breath. "Let's get to class, and then go somewhere just the two of us later so that we can talk, because I'm sure you have all kinds of questions about what has been going on today."

I nodded numbly, and reluctantly pulled away from her, before escorting her to the room. I glanced around and noticed all the different students participating in their typical activities, and conversing in their usual cliques. I had never really had the desire to meld myself into that social group, and probably never will. The only thing that bugs me is whether my not wanting that will affect my relationship with Bella in the long run; I certainly hoped that wasn't the outcome. I would do anything to prevent such a travesty from happening. Some would say that's dramatic... I would say it's more along the lines of _considering all possibilit__ies, and taking any and all precautions to guarantee the desired result._

The lesson, which usually would have consumed all of my attention, didn't hold the usual luster due to me considering what reason Bella could have to require a discussion with me. In the end, it was easily discerned that we would be continuing the discussion we had on Saturday, and hopefully that would include an explanation of today's most unusual events. _I missed my Bella, whether she was sitting next to me or not._

Just when I was about to admit defeat and drag Bella from the classroom, the bell rang and I was immediately up and out of my seat, gathering the paucity of our belongings, and grabbing Bella's hand with an entirely too eager expression I am sure. She demurely rolled her eyes with a shy giggle and light blush, before walking out of the suddenly stifling room with me in tow.

We made it out to my automobile, and once I fished the keys out of my pocket, Bella snatched them out of my hands to open the trunk for our belongings. As soon as she shut the trunk, she turned around and looked at me with a heartbreakingly pleading expression.

"Please, please, please, please, _please_ let me drive your car... there's somewhere I want to take you, except it's kind of complicated to get there... I'll let you drive back, but I don't know how to explain the directions, and I promise I won't give your car a heart atta-," I took a page out of Angela's book, so to speak, and ended her rant with a tender kiss to her precious lips. I could never get enough of her mouth as it is, so I figured it was about time to indulge myself in them in a timely manor... which just so happened to, coincidentally, be at the end of her little explanation speech.

"Love, I already told you how I love and trust you implicitly, so why would you think that I wouldn't agree to you driving my car?" I chuckled quietly.

"I don't know... you just s-seemed to have some sort of anal attentiveness when it came to the care for your car, so I wasn't one-hundred percent sure that you would be willing," she explained as she shifted uncomfortably for the first time since I have known her... it didn't seem right, almost like it was the first sign that the apocalypse was coming.

"If you were to put a percentage on how sure you were that I would be willing, what would it be?" I teased her lightheartedly as I opened the driver's side door for her to slide in. Little did I know that the minx side of Bella had come out to play.

"Well, I would say about 89.999 percent..." she trailed off as she brushed her body along mine, grabbed my collar, and pulled me down for a mind numbing kiss. I was so absorbed in the feel of her tongue sliding along mine, and the sensations of her soft, delicate fingers gliding along my face that I didn't even notice when she began to back me up a few steps until she abruptly pulled away and got in the car; door closed and all. _Damn she's sneaky... real life Sheriff of Nottingham!_

In order to not be left behind, I entered the other side of the car as Bella started the ignition and buckled up. Glancing out the window, I noticed the thin, cottony layer of clouds that veiled the sky; they didn't look very lasting. I briefly acknowledged when she took the one-oh-one north, however, my thoughts began to drift to thoughts of Bella, _surprise surprise, _and of the kiss we just shared. I longed to simply attach my lips to hers permanently, though I knew logically that we would eventually wither away what with the lack of proper nourishment. _But what a hell of a pleasurable way __to go, right?_ I thought to myself wistfully. I had a constant yearning to somehow be connected to this innocent girl who had taken a liking to me; it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I mulled over the possibility that Bella felt similar, before deciding otherwise. It's best to keep this to myself, no doubt I would be sent to a mental institute if anyone were to find out... of course, I was positive that my parents would guarantee me the most accredited institution out there.

"Ok, we're here," Bella announced before I knew it, and all I could think was; _son of a bitch, I wasn't paying attention._

That was about when I stopped to take in our surroundings. We seemed to be parked on the narrow shoulder of where a road ended, leading to a trail, that must be used during the tourist seasons as a nature walk, though no one was around at the moment. I have always loved the smell of nature, especially here in the Olympic Peninsula, where the smell of the Grand fir trees were the most potent.

I followed Bella as she started off on the marked path, before there was a little opening from where the previous bushes had long since died out. I observed quietly as she walked down another 5 trees, smiled brilliantly, patted a discrete purple mark, and motioned with her head for me to follow her.

"You see, I came across this trail one day during a visit to Charlie one summer. He was working that day, and told me to have fun exploring... in Forks! That man's insane, I tell you; like there's a whole day's worth to see here. Anywho, I was planning on just going for a walk through the woods, but didn't want to get lost, and I had a rag and some environmentally friendly paint, so I would mark a small spot on the tree where no one could see it, and I could easily follow on my way back. Who knew that I would find such a treasure though?" she explained, as we continued on for about 500 yards or so, although I wasn't necessarily paying the appropriate amount of attention to properly estimate.

"So why...," I paused in the middle of my question, in order to properly articulate my question for her; she took this as hesitation.

"Yes?" she drawled the word out as she waited for a response.

"How exactly did you come up with out of the word blue earlier?" I questioned her in honest confusion, causing her to giggle.

"Well if you think back to watching Mary Poppins, all of the colors were very soft and... I don't know, the part that always stood out to me was the sky because it was such a beautiful shade of blue that was used," she told me.

"Ahh, makes sense... I definitely enjoyed watching Ben's reaction to that answer," I responded to her, as she nodded in agreement and claimed my hand in her own once again.

Every time she would trip over a root or nothing but air honestly, I was always there to catch her and make sure she hadn't injured herself. After about an hour of walking under the darkness of the tree cover, the light that filtered through the canopy changed, and you could see rays of sunshine up ahead. She must have seen the same thing, since she squealed a little and eagerly picked up the pace to feel the sun on her skin once again.

I reached the edge of the pool of light and stepped through the last fringe of ferns into the most serene place I had ever seen. The meadow was small, almost round, and filled with wildflowers - lavender, red, and soft yellow. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the relaxing sound of a stream. The sun was directly overhead, filling the meadow with a haze of warm sunshine. I walked slowly, enraptured, through the knee length grass, flowers, and warm, breezy air.

"Isn't it beautiful? I was beside myself when I found it... to think all the time that I spent in the house during the summers that I was here with nothing to do, and I could have been here!" Bella exclaimed.

"Yes, it certainly is... very beautiful," I murmured as I watched her lay down in the middle of the greenery, and nearly disappear due to the height of the grass on the ground. She was the most stunningly attractive... _anything_ that I have ever seen before. The sun was glinting off of her gorgeous earthen curls, and her face was in a soft, relaxed pose... She was so entirely ravishing... and she was mine.

"Come lay down, Lover Boy!" she called. Naturally, I hastened my pace to eagerly situate my body alongside of her, and tilted my face at the appropriate angle so I could stare to my heart's content... _No, that's not creepy at al__l_,I rolled my eyes to myself at the thought.

"So..." she paused for a moment, seemingly to gather her thoughts together before turning her face to mine and beginning again. "I know that you're curious about what's been going on today; you have that little bulge in your eyebrow sticking out like you usually do when you're thinking. I want you to know that you have nothing to worry about. This isn't some crazy personality disorder or something either... I was jus-"

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," I breathed out relieved, unable to stop myself. She smiled softly at me and moved her body closer to mine; head laying on my shoulder, her soft, delicate hands grasping my own larger, rough one from beneath her head. She giggled softly before continuing.

"Yeah, I figured... you know that I love you, right? I mean this in the _real_ way, as opposed to simply saying it because you have or in the knee jerk reaction that some people do... I mean it, in the way that... there just aren't enough words to express how completely encompassed I am by the feeling." she rambled, while running her fingers softly along mine, which was almost enough to entirely distract me. Almost.

"I feel the same. God Bella, how I can relate…" I murmured distractedly as the nail of her index finger gently traced over the different veins in my forearm in the most delicious way.

She smiled to herself at my comment, but otherwise didn't acknowledge that she heard me. "I want to ask you... what did you think about how I acted today?"

"I didn't like it. I prefer that you to act like yourself," I responded as I felt as if I was missing something important.

"S-," she started when I inadvertently spoke over her. "I was worried you were pulling a Zelda Fitzgerald on me," I managed to say through a small chuckle.

"So if-" she began, but I accidentally cut her off again.

"I did like the glasses though, I didn't know you wore them," I told her while I smiled at her.

"I am making a valid point, so stop trying to interrupt!" she giggled while taking the glasses in question off of her blushing face and handing them to me to fiddle with; I smiled at the gesture. To me it was symbolic of her giving all of herself to me, in the way that I should be with her.

"My sincerest apologies, Mon Agnelle, I beg your forgiveness, and urge you to continue," I replied formally while smirking at her causing her to roll her eyes at me.

"Frick, where was I?" she asked rhetorically before remembering and picking up where she was. "Oh yeah! So, if that's how you feel, then who's to say that it wouldn't be the same for me? Edward I love _you,_ it's as simple as that. I dressed this way and acted as you did on our date to prove a point to you... I didn't feel as if you _really_ understood where I was coming from yesterday, and now I'm hoping that this helps..." she trailed off with uncertainty in her voice. _That wouldn't do, _my mind screamed at me as her fingers continued in their very peculiar dance of a sensual hand intercourse, surely to drive me abundantly mad.

"Bella, my love, Mon Agnelle... I hear you-," and that was about all I could get out before she full on attacked me by attaching her face to mine in a very ferocious manner that had me instantly burning from the inside in the most pleasurable way.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I gently tugged on her body until she was aligned parallel on top of my own all while holding her face to mine to ensure no space be left between her soft, feminine lips. It was a bit daunting in the fact that I seemed to solely function for the sole purpose of being here with her... in any capacity. But more than that was knowing that I would perpetually do anything in my power to guarantee things be like this everlastingly.

Slowly, tentatively I slid my tongue along her top lip before softly sucking it between mine. I lingered long enough to fulfill my own baseline standard of proper tribute to her wondrous feature, prior to switching to my 'favorite' lip; her bottom one was just full enough to fit exponentially perfect together with my own. I loved how even though they were so inexperienced together, the moment our lips touched, they glided along each other seamlessly. It was almost as if they had known each other at some point and knew instinctively how to cohabitate with one another. _And let's not get started on our hands,_ my evil traitorous brain pointed out to me... It knew that after that thought crossed my mind, I wouldn't be able to resist the involuntary scenario's passing through the myriad of things going on in my brain.

Our hands weren't lewd or improper in anyway (which suited us just fine), they were simply caressing and twining together, refusing to part much like our lips, which were pushing with enough force to open and allow passage to our tongues. Our arms would languidly stretch up above our heads before lowering slowly to reside casually clasped next to our heads. Gradually her hands would slide down my forearms and gently massage with her thumbs on her way back up, causing goosebumps to erupt along my skin, to which I felt her smile against my lips. It was passionate, tender, possessive, and loving; the most wonderful combination of sensations... and it didn't have to end.

* * *

**So I have had a PITA (pain in the ass) time in my life recently! If you didn't already know I have outtakes posted on my profile as an apology lol! I have a new blog, am on Twitter, and have succumbed to FB (all on profile) so take a look if you are brave enough. I've also started a new Twi-fanfic site called Fanfiction Writing Challenges (again on my profile) that you all should check out, if you haven't!**

**Next I want you all to check out these awesome authors, because without them I wouldn't be posting this! These are my WC muses, and they are the pen to my paper, the keys to my computer, etc ;) WriterInMyDreams007, msambrosia, albymangroves, missrenee76, mpg, shoefreak37, ancoraimparo83, Manhoor, and of course the ever lovely PatchsFallenAngel. They all have stories and they all rock!**

**Now, last but certainly not least, spend 30 seconds leaving a REVIEW to me and my insecurity and I will get you a TEASER! Jsyk ;) Love ya!  
**


	4. Meet the Parents

**Disclaimer: It is with a heavy heart that I admit, I own no rights to anything... except a ton of school loans, though I won't get into that right now ;)**

**I hope you enjoy this chp. I had fun writing it! Check out my blog for PicTeases and such in between updates. I'm also on Twitter now as Le_Crepuscule if you're interested. Anywho, this chapter is dedicated to a reader for showing her love to me by reviewing every chapter, and brightening my day... Twilights1Fan this ones for you. Special thanks goes out to my beta for the patience and humor brought my way.**

**Enjoy!  
**_

* * *

I'm nervous, why am I so nervous?_ I thought to myself frantically as I paced the floor of my disgustingly organized bedroom. I was very seriously re-contemplating my decision to wake up prior to my alarm clock this morning and organizing my bedroom to the point of insanity. I was in the middle of analyzing the possibility of the room being so exceedingly sanitary that a doctor would be able to perform a surgery here when I heard my phone vibrating on my night stand. Upon picking up the mobile device, I noticed that it was Bella calling and it brought an instant smile to my face.

"Hello Mon Agnelle," I greeted her.

"Edward..." she sighed on the other line.

"To what do I owe the delightful pleasure of this phone call?" I teased her, knowing very well that she was calling to inform me that she was ready for me to pick her up.

"Har har, you're such a comedian, lover boy," she responded and I could practically see her teasing smile as she rolled her eyes at me.

"Well, I'm no Lenny Bruce, but I can hold my own," I told her nonchalantly, and heard her responding giggle through the earpiece.

"So... you said to call you in the afternoon, and it's around 3 pm now...," she trailed off.

"Oh, right... well I told you to call me because I wanted to spend time with you today, and my mom had mentioned having you over to meet them only she wasn't sure if Carlisle, my dad, would be on call at the hospital at the last minute... so I figured either way we could hang out," I rambled on.

"So what was the consensus?" she questioned as I heard her stifle another laugh at my ramblings.

"Well, my father was able to switch his shift with another co-worker who is going out of town in a couple of days, so he has today off," I hesitantly informed her, suddenly wondering if I should have told her beforehand.

"Um... well, Charlie's out at the station for the night, so I could just tell him what my plan is... I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem with it."

"Excellent," I sighed in relief. "I can be there whenever you're read-"

"Oh frick... this is going to sound really girlie, but at the moment, I'm way past caring... how should I dress? I want them to like me, Edward, but I don't want to look-" she cut me off in the midst of her panicking, forcing me to interrupt before she gave herself hypertension.

"Sweet girl, they will love you! You trust me don't you?" I spoke calmly to the frantic girl who had momentarily taken over my girl's body.

"Yeah," she answered meekly.

"Then trust that I wouldn't lead you on. I would never lie to you, you know that... so therefore you have nothing to worry about, right?"

I heard her take a deep breath and let it out slowly before she answered in the affirmative. I told her that my mom was planning on having a barbeque since the weather was nice enough (in other words, there was no rain and only a light breeze), so we were planning on having it on our covered patio with our outdoor heaters.

After ending my conversation with Bella, I quickly grabbed my shoes and ran my hands through the mess of hair on my head before descending the stairs to catch my mother. My mother has always been such a solid figure in my life; whenever I needed her, she was there. She was young when she had me, and though some would hide from the situation, she embraced it. Never once did she even _consider_ not having me, and I love her all the more for it. She's always simply known who she was and if there's one thing that I'd like to think I got from her it was an ounce of that. I may desire to be different at times, but not once have I denied who I am... I give her all of the credit for that.

"Hey mom," I said to her as I pecked her cheek while walking to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

"Hey hun... you're squinting. Oh shoot! I forgot to make that next optometrist appointment, didn't I?" she asked rhetorically, already opening her planner to make some changes.

"Mom, I can handle it, honestly..." I reassured her before saying the next few words disdainfully. "I can just wear my glasses for the next few days."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be a problem to call the doctor after hours, and-" she began to prattle before I cut her off, knowing how endlessly she can talk when she gets into her planning-mama-bear mode.

"Bella's coming over for dinner!" I blurted out, immediately regretting it when I heard the piercing shriek come from my now over-ecstatic mother.

"Oh, my baby is bringing over a girl!" she enthused as if there was a crowd of attentive guests awaiting this moment; I grimaced at the thought of what was to come when she told the rest of my family.

"Now mom, I really really like her so please... just be _normal_," I pleaded with her as she grabbed my vile pair of glasses from the drawer we kept them in.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. If you can define this _normal_ that you speak of then I will act like it- you have 10 seconds," she bargained.

Sputtering, I tried to come up with a valid definition, only for her to count unfairly. _Seriously, who says 1, 2, skip a few, 8, 9, 10 anymore?_ My mother, that's who, apparently.

Thirty minutes later, I was pulling up in front of the Swan residence and eagerly anticipating seeing Bella again, though it had only been less than a day since I had last seen her. As I stepped out of my Volvo, I realized that this was the first time I'd ever formally come to her house to pick her up. Typically, she was already waiting outside for me.

Smiling to myself, I walked up to her door and contemplated the pros and cons of knocking versus ringing the doorbell before settling on knocking first, like any other respectable human being would do. I found that this was the right decision when the door flew open almost instantly and I was wrapped in the arms of a very soft, warm, and familiar feminine figure that smelled like my sweet girl. I felt the calming atmosphere envelop me as we stood in a gentle embrace with my hands resting on her hips and my forehead lying on her shoulder.

"Is everything alright, Bella?" I murmured to her as she loosened her hold on me enough to rest our foreheads together and look into my eyes as she spoke, which was when I noticed her wearing the glasses she had on when we went to the meadow. I made a mental note to inquire about their reappearance later on.

"Yeah... It's just that I've got some things on my mind, with my dad, plus I get really cuddly now and then... I hope you don't mind?"

"Why on earth would I mind? And I can't recall if I was privy to the fact that something was going on with your dad?" I asked her as I held the back of her head so our faces were positioned cheek to cheek.

"Well, you see... it will probably happen about twelve times a year...," she trailed off while begging with her eyes for me to understand and save her from this, evidently, uncomfortable conversation. "Plus my dad has been having some nasty headaches recently, and you know how I worry about him..." I took a moment to mull over the hint she had given me, as I nodded my head along with what she was saying about her father's health. Twelve times a year factored out to be about once a month, so that could only mean... _holy shit balls_, I stopped that thought where it was with the fear of her noticing the blush that was beginning to stain my cheeks as an equal to hers. I cleared my throat uneasily before deciding to simply skip over the topic.

"Um, w-well yeah... are you ready to go? I couldn't leave my mom alone for too long in fear of her making this dinner wildly out of proportion," I mentioned, stuttering, mind you, as I lead her over to the passenger side door like my mother taught me to do for her, growing up under the pretense of teaching me to be a _gentleman_. Of course at the time I thought it was just her way of trying to give Carlisle hints as to the way she wanted to be treated, but since it's coming in handy now...

When I parked the car in our driveway I immediately exited the car and rushed around to help usher her out of the vehicle before she had a chance to beat me to it. It wasn't until the moment that I saw her gorgeous form rising from the seat that I noticed just how stunning she looked today; I wanted to chastise myself for overlooking this, but found that I didn't have the capability of extensive thoughts other than absorbing the natural beauty in front of me. If I could carve a statue of her on the side of a cliff or something then she would most undeniably become one of the wonders of the world... _she was my own personal wonder after all._

After coming back to the moment, and no longer staring at how her feminine form looked in the gray sweater and jeans, I noticed how she had left her hair down and naturally curly, as well as what looked like something shiny on her very kissable lips, I shook my head at the thought to get back on track as we walked up to the door.

"So before I subject you to the-I suppose the proper word would be haphazardness- that is my home life, I feel the need to warn you beforehand," I started to warn her. "My family is a bit eccentric, loveable, and very... curious."

"So they're nosy?" she asked bluntly, as I sheepishly nodded my head, which earned me another one of those giggles from her that I cherish.

Grasping her face between my hands I studied the different hues of brown that made up the deep and resounding shade of her eyes before slowly leaning in and brushing my lips along hers several times, almost as if they weren't even touching. Feeling her release a quivering breath, I took that to mean she wanted more and leaned in to further press our lips together. Softly we placed chaste kisses on one another's mouth but that apparently wasn't enough for her. Reaching her tongue out slowly, she licked my bottom lip before pulling it between her own, gently sucking. Momentarily I was too stunned to move, before she pulled me closer by the back of my neck and crushed our lips together in a searing kiss. She knotted her fingers in my hair and pulled me closer to further deepen it as we moved our lips together.

I hesitantly slipped the tip of my tongue past her lips and tried to open her mouth. When she granted me access, I slipped my tongue in to softly caress her own. It didn't take long before I felt entirely relaxed, and I heard her let out a quiet moan as I snaked my arms around her tiny waist, tongues still tangling. I placed my hand on the curve of her back, moaning into the kiss. Tangling my other hand in her hair, I pulled her closer while kissing her as thoroughly as possible, completely losing myself in her, and leaving every other thing behind.

When I began to pull away I felt her following, as if our lips were attached with no hope of separating, until she finally pulled away with the top of her head resting on my chin. It was the most perfect moment to me, and if I hadn't been expected to bring Bella in the house, I would have liked to stay this way with her forever.

"I have nothing to hide, lover boy," she whispered suddenly, and it took me a moment to register that she was continuing our conversation previous to what had just occurred. "Shall we go meet the grups now?"

"Grups?" I asked, utterly confused.

"Yeah grownups, what you've never watched the original Star Trek before?" she retorted.

"Alright then... welcome to my home, I suppose," I told her with a smirk, as I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind me into my house. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't until I turned around after removing our jackets that I noticed my ludicrous mother standing opposite us in the hallway with her hands clasped by her chest as she smiled as big as I'd ever seen from her. _Here we go, _I thought warily before readying myself for the introductions by taking a suddenly much needed breath.

"Mom, I'd like-," I began to make the introduction when I was cut off.

"Oh hush you, now it is Bella isn't it?" Mom asked excitedly as she grabbed my sweet girl from my grasp and brought her into the kitchen with her. "Edward, would you be a sugar plum and find your father for me? Thank you, hun!"

After coming to terms with the fact that my mother had kidnapped the love of my life, I took one more glance into the kitchen, wanting to ensure that Bella was alright with the turn of events. However, she simply shot me a beaming smile before my mom said something that made her burst into laughter. I walked up the stairs to my father's study while shaking my head with the most ridiculous smile on my face. W_hat can I say? Bella just does that to me,_ I thought to myself.

While walking back into the living room I contemplated where the most logical place for my father to be was. The only obvious answer would be in his study, so ascending the steps more rapidly than usual, I arrived in his office in less than a minute to find the door ajar and him pouring over some case files that he must have brought home from the hospital. _Whether that's legal or not is besides the point_.

I knocked on his door frame and he immediately set down whichever medical report was in front of him to promptly divert his full attention to me. That was something that was always a guarantee- my father loved my mother and I unconditionally. Most would say that it was simply because I am an only child, however, there's something that tells me that if my parents had a much larger family, they would still be as attentive in their everyday lives with every member of the family.

His study was his sanctuary; it was the place that was simply his. I could completely relate to that. My mother eventually grew tired of my slight obsessive organizing tendency and designated my room to be my 'fortress of completely irrational cleanliness'. Who knew she wouldn't appreciate my help when it came to the organization of the house. Although if you ask me, my way was much more efficient.

I loved being in this room. Other than my room it was the one place here in Forks where I could simply be myself. Even with my family I could never freely speak my mind constantly; I was always... different in a way that is too hard to express with all the words in the English language. Fortunately I had long since accepted this.

As a child I always thought that this room was something of a kingdom of imagination where books of every kind lay waiting for my eager mind. Now it was simply a place that I could find all the resources to help fuel my ever growing need for knowledge.

"Edward, what a pleasant surprise!" He exclaimed with genuine delight, as he broke me out of my musing.

"I just wanted to tell you that Esme sent me for you... I, er.. um... well, you see," I stammered before taking a calming breath and trying again. "Well you know how I told you Bella may come over this weekend? Well she's here and I would very much like you to meet her."

"How should I do this? Do you want me to be introduced as your father, or perhaps just Carlisle? I'd even be fine with the dashingly handsome doctor that sleeps with your mo-" He prated before I cut him off as the impending nausea from his last sentence started to sink in.

"Jeebus!" I shouted as I leveled him with a glare, completely mortified.

Smiling sheepishly, he tried communicating again. "Sorry son, it's just... this is my first time doing something like this and I don't want to do anything wrong, you know?" he explained sincerely.

"Alright, its fine... let's just... I don't know... take a deep breath or something... and never _ever_ say something of the nature of you and my mother participating in various m-married scenarios..." I trailed off disgustingly while waving my hands around a little. Carlisle and I have always had a peculiar relationship to an outsider's perspective but the truth is that I truly think about him as my father. I don't think I ever _really_ persisted in getting that point across to him; that's something I will have to rectify in the near future.

"You know, I think we're going about this all wrong," I mused as I furrowed my eyebrows in mock thought.

"Well I wouldn't be opposed to trying this again, although I would prefer a trial run."

"Right," I began as I cleared my throat. "Mom, no mom's already met her... How about 'Dad, there's someone very important that I'd like to introduce you to... Bella this is my _father _Carlisle. Dad this is Bella Swan.'" Immediately proceeding my speech I glanced up to see his profile and noticed the indefinably quirky smile plastered on his face.

"What?" I asked him as I shifted my weight to be more adequately comfortable.

"Nothing... I just rather enjoyed that," he stated as I felt my ears heat up.

After taking a deep breath in to fill my lungs, I recommended that we eventually descend the staircase to make our scene a reality sometime in this decade; fortunately, he agreed.

As we made our way out of the room I could see the note cards sticking out of his shirt pocket and could hear him mumbling under his breath as I tend to do during my designated study hours. You would be correct in speculating that he was more antsy about this evening than I was, as impossible as the notion would seem.

"Well, I am very glad to hear that Bella," my mom just finished saying as we came within earshot of the girls while I psyched myself up for the upcoming introductions, almost as if I was giddy.

"I bet your mom is giving the poor girl the fourth degree," Carlisle said with a chuckle as I looked at him, bemused.

"Oh please, everyone knows the fourth degree is worse that the third," the old man explained himself as he rolled his eyes at what appeared to have been an obvious answer to him in his senile years. I smirked to myself at that thought before transferring my attention back to my girl as she began to speak.

"Yep, it's nice and thick-," she was unfortunately cut off by the massive snort of laughter that erupted from the so-called adult next to me. _A higher power must have hated me if this was the way my girlfriend was _actually_ going to meet my father, let alone the reaction from my mother previously_, I thought to myself, a severe inner turmoil suddenly taking place in my mind.

"Carlisle Cullen!" My mom squealed, prior to addressing Bella. "I would recognize that disgustingly obnoxious sound anywhere."

Raising his hands in a universal sign of surrender he walked around the corner to see a nearly identical pair of women standing with their arms crossed and brows cocked in a 'what in the world?' expression side-by-side. If I wasn't one-hundred percent positive that I was her only child I would be worried, which frankly, I couldn't help but be all that much more grateful with the way things have turned out in my life thus far.

"Bella, this despicably mannered man is named Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle th-," my mom began introductions before I intervened, wanting to be able to do at least _part_ of all this right.

"This is my Bella," I stated as she blushed slightly and beamed at me; surely matching my own expression.

"Awe, look at them, Carl!" My mom _tried_ to whisper while epically failing at the task.

"Yes Me-me, I see them," he whispered back as they both stared at us expectantly. _Way too weird for me... must correct_, I thought decisively.

"I'm going to show Bella around now and prevent her from being exposed to any more crazy," I stated with a pointed look at my father; at least he had the good sense to look chastised.

Walking away, I heard the distinct sound of a slap followed my dad's exclamation of confusion. I could have sworn I heard her say to "Keep the innuendos in the bedroom" but I didn't want to run the risk of finding out... for _plenty _of _obvious_ reasons (to me at least).

"So I get to have a tour of the house?" Bella inquired suddenly.

"Well, yeah... er, only if that's okay though... we don't have to do it or anything but I just couldn't be within a 50 foot radius of the wonder twins over there," I told her awkwardly, while rubbing the back of my neck.

"Nah, I don't mind," she responded while smiling softly at me; _I would do anything to see that smile on her face constantly_. "Wait would that make you their space monkey Gleek?"

_Holy fucking shit balls! She knows the Wonder Twins? Could she be anymore perfect?_

"Well I don't know about perfect, but yes I do know the Wonder Twins along with several other graphic novel superheroes and villains." _Did I say that out loud? Or did she somehow develop telepathic abilities?... Yeah I'm pretty sure I said it out loud._

I think my heart stopped at that moment as my body went on autopilot. I walked her through the downstairs vaguely pointing out where the different rooms could be found, including the various emergency supplies on each floor of the house once we made our way upstairs. Once we arrived at my room I began to take cleansing breaths through my nose to regain my wits. No one had been in my room in years, to my knowledge at least. It's not that I don't let people in here, it's simply that my parents trust me enough with my own space and I never invite anyone over for frivolous things such as LAN parties or movie nights... I have always been perfectly content to spend time on my own or with my family on occasion._ Does that make me pathetic?_

Once the door was opened, I stood back from the door to allow her to make her own assessments. I haven't really changed my room around since I was starting high school and even then it was simply placing the astrological charts along the walls and adding a telescope facing out the balcony doors. Suddenly things seemed very... _plain._ I wasn't granted enough time to digest that new epiphany before I saw my sweet girl biting her lip while running her finger over my western hemisphere star chart. I watched in eager fascination as she squinted her eyes underneath those adorable glasses of hers before smiling slightly and turning to me.

"When I was a little girl in Phoenix my grandma lived with us for a couple of years before she passed away...," she began to share with me while moving over to look out the open balcony doors. "She always told me that I should never be sad because once she was gone she would become a star... and no matter where I am in the world, no matter if I can see the stars at night or not, they're always going to be there. And the best part was when she picked a star that would be ours... because she wanted me to be able to look up and simply know which one she would be waiting on for me."

As she told me that story I slowly walked over to her with my hands in my pockets and stopped once I was close enough to just barely be brushing against her back. Once she was finished she took a deep breath and leaned against me with her eyes closed looking like the most precious thing in the world to me. The only thing going though my mind was that I needed to touch her; slowly I gathered her long chestnut locks in my hands before sweeping them over her left shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her slim waist and placed my head on her shoulder, simply holding her, swaying our molding bodies gently as she reveled in the memories that were sure to be a bit difficult for her. I wanted to give her this time to let her know that no matter what I would always be there for her, and though words seemed inappropriate at the moment I decided to show her with my actions instead. We had probably been doing this for about seven minutes before I felt the beginning of hunger pangs in my stomach and asked if she'd like to go back downstairs now, to which she happily agreed with a soft, lingering kiss to my lips before taking my hand and telling me to lead the way.

"Oh thank goodness, there you are!" My mom exclaimed when she saw us enter the kitchen. "Now, what do you think about dessert? Because that bread pudding has been eyeing me from the minute I put it on the counter to cool off."

"Really?" Bella asked excitedly, almost as if she were a little girl all over again and her mom was giving her permission to ruin her appetite before dinner with that proverbial cookie.

"Oh, the poor child has been deprived of the simple luxuries in life," she muttered under her breath. "Yes ,of course, we always have desert first here; that way we have leftovers for lunch the next day... Dessert never tastes good if you wait too long! Also, Edward mentioned that you like to eat healthy, so we bought all organic foods to cook with and found some alternative ways to cook our meals."

"Oh, that was really sweet but you didn't have to go through all of that trouble just for me!" Bella stressed as we all sat down and began to dish out the food onto our plates.

"Nonsense! When Carl wanted to try out different diets that he learned in his research, we tried them out, and when Edward went through his phase of being afraid of the color green, we found ways to cook them into what we were eating. So, really, this was a much simpler task to accomplish." _My mother must be hell bent on destroying my relationship!_ I though while I felt the heat rise in my ears and caught sight Bella biting her lips to keep from giggling.

"Can we _please_ change the subject?" I begged.

"How did you and Carlisle finally decide to date, Esme?"

"Well that's actually a funny story! I was out shopping with some of my girlfriends for the first time since little Edward was born and I remember spotting Carl talking not too far away. Anyway, the girls forced me into the dressing room and had me try on a the most ridiculous thing-" My mom was interrupted.

"I wouldn't call it ridiculous, Me-me! The things that dress did to me..." he trailed off with wistful eyes while shaking his head.

"Carlisle Cullen, you are going to give them the wrong impression." She insisted.

"Well when you showed up in that little beige dress, I was done for," He replied.

"I can't believe you remembered the dress," she whispered while gazing lovingly at her husband.

"I remember many things with you," he murmured while leaning in close to her. _I knew in my heart that I would remember everything about Bella._

"It probably doesn't help that you're extremely metro sexual, now does it?" There's the mom that I know and love.

"Hmm... no, probably not," he replied nonchalantly, before muttering in Italian under his breath since he knows it would irk my mom due to her not knowing the translations.

"What did he just say?" Bella asked me in a hushed whisper as we watched the two of them playfully bicker back and forth.

"He said '_Prendi questo!'_ which means 'Take that!' in Italian," I half explained and half laughed.

"You know Italian?" she asked me, sounding surprised.

"Y-yeah," I said lamely while rubbing my forehead, embarrassed. "I know Italian, French, Spanish, some Latin, and obviously English."

"Uh...," she tried to respond before clearing her throat. "I mean that was just... wow." _Interesting, _I thought while we finished up our meal without any other incidents.

I'm not one hundred percent sure why I thought I could rely on my parents to have a regular barbeque... normally going for a swim during one would make sense. The only problem with this was that not only was it typical Olympic Peninsula weather, but the only pool we have is from when Alice and I were four years old. Apparently that wasn't enough to stop my persistent mother because there she was, bathing suit and all, instructing me to 'fetch the pool'. The only consolation was when Bella refused to let go of my hand and made the trip across the yard to the shed with me. I should have known that it would have been more fun than that though. The way her eyes lit up upon discovering the jungle gym that my cousins and I used to spend hours a day on growing up, told me that there was an alternative form of entertainment for us while my mom is in the pool.

Opening the shed door, I had to resist the urge to be annoyed at the clutter that has taken over the storage space. I quickly lifted the plastic inflatable pool, only to reveal my most coveted possession- my piano. Growing up I had always wanted to have the chance to play the piano, only we never had the money for anything extravagant in our everyday lives due to the bills and Carlisle's money going to his college loans and such. It wasn't until he was established in his current job that we began to have the finances that we do to this day. We were lucky enough to stop by an antique store in Seattle one time and were able to acquire it for cheap due to the condition of the piece. I plan on having it restored at some point; I just have to have everything settled before I do this. _One day, soon,_ I promised myself.

"I'll go run this over to my mom, could you close the doors for me?" I requested.

"No problem, I hear the jungle gym calling my name can't you?" she asked rhetorically, I assumed since she'd already closed the shed and took off across the yard.

Shaking my head and smiling hugely I returned to my parents and told them what we were planning on doing for a little while although I'm not quite certain they heard me with the way they were looking at each other. _Can you say gross? Because I certainly can._

Discarding those thoughts, I wandered back around the makeshift wall (made entirely of trees and shrubberies that have grown exponentially since I was young) that my parents planted to make us feel as though we had a castle in a far off land, a fort in the middle of a forest, or whatever else our imaginations willed of us at the time. I followed the sounds of slightly hysterical giggles to find my girlfriend hanging upside down on one of the bars connected to the structure.

"Edwarrrrd!" More laughter. She was adorable.

"Wha-...," I paused for a moment, due to utter bafflement. "How did you manage that?"

"Well," she began to explain while doing a sit-up motion until her hands were within reach of the bar beside her thighs. "I never really got along with anyone at school growing up, well not until Miranda moved next door to me, but that's besides the point." I was frozen, transfixed as she managed to flip her body over, backwards mind you, until she was simply hanging on the bars from her arms.

"Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in the nurse's office while acquainting myself with all the different ways I could contort myself on the bars... strangely I was no good at gymnastics though."

"Edward?"

She had once again managed to turn me into a mindless idiot. In my defense, she really should warn me before pulling a stunt like that, otherwise I should be expected to stare with my mouth hanging open. _Just saying._

"Hmm?" Still incompetent.

"I was just going to ask if you were alright," she asked with a confused smile on her face.

"Perfect! I'm perfectly fine Mon Agnelle," I managed to reply without sputtering like a fool.

"Ok well-," she started to say before being cut off by the distinctive sound of her cell phone ringing.

"It's my dad; I guess it's time to head home," she told me with a solemn face before answering her call and walking back to the house, with me in tow, to say goodbye to my parents.

* * *

**I'd love to hear what you all think, so leave it in a review. **

**Remember REVIEWERS get TEASERS.**

**x  
**


	5. Moment of Quiet

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**This chp is dedicated to the one and only luv4jake for her awesome reviews that keep me smiling. Special thanks this time goes out to you. Yes you, I love each and every one of my readers so this ones to you.**

**Enjoy! (A/n at the bottom) Links on profile for outfits and stuff like that.**

* * *

"Edward you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Alice screeched as she busted into my room in the middle of my study session. She _knows_ that is unforgivable.

"What seems to be on your mind, Ali?" I asked the demon that has possessed my cousin, who was currently hovering over my desk with a menacing look on her face.

"I thought you have a girl now?" She partly demanded and partly stated. Utterly confused, I nodded my head slowly as if she was incompetent.

"Don't you give me that look, Bill Nye! I was just wondering what the fuck your problem is. If you have a girl why the hell would you still be cooped up here studying on a nice day? Don't answer that, I already know why. Just get your ass in the shower and put on some nice clothes for a picnic! I'll go get everything ready, just make sure you call your lady love."

I always knew she was a force to be reckoned with; however, at the moment I was left in a confused state of immobility from her actions. Unfortunately for me, this must not have been agreeable with the energizer bunny because she gave me a pointed look before looking back at her watch. _I suppose this means study time is over for the moment._

"Alright, I'll call her!" I gave in, exasperated, while scratching my head.

Sighing, I picked up my phone and simply looked at it for a moment after she left the room. The truth was that I have been trying to have Bella get out of the house as much as possible as of late. The only problem with that is, she simply doesn't want to leave her father. When she received the call from her father it was because when he arrived home from work, he couldn't remember where Bella was. She's been increasingly worried about his well being recently since then. I know that it is something serious to deal with- don't misunderstand me. I also know that she is wearing herself down with all of this worry and has been slacking on taking care of herself since this has occurred. I took it on as my personal mission to take care of my sweet girl, and Alice has presented me with the perfect opportunity. My quotes calendar for the day did say "Carpe dieum"...

"Hey, lover boy!" The most beautiful voice in the world was suddenly by my ear. That was about the time that I realized that I'd unconsciously dialed Bella's number while lost in my thoughts.

"Oh, er... hello Mon Agnelle," I responded as casually as possible not wanting to let on to how desperate I was to hear her voice that my body was revolting against me in order to hear her.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your sexy voice this afternoon?" she teased.

"Well my cousin Alice, though entirely mental, did have a point when she accosted me into setting up a date for the two of us... of course, it really takes very much coercion if I were to be honest." I explained earning one of her little giggles in return. I always felt like I earned a point for myself on the imaginary scoreboard in my head when I elicited such a response from her. Just what the points were for I hadn't yet decided yet. _Perhaps I could convince her to trade each in for a kiss? _I thought excitedly.

"Well... my dad is out fishing with his friends right now, though I did tell him to keep it on land this time just in case. So I suppose we have a little bit of time to get into some trouble," she teased. "What did you have in mind?"

"You don't enjoy fishing?"

"Well it isn't that I dislike it... it's simply that I root for the fish... Charlie doesn't appreciate that." I could imagine her sheepish smile after that comment, and had to hold in a chuckle.

"Alice _suggested_ a picnic, so perhaps we can visit the meadow again?"

"Oh, that sounds fabulous. I really need to decompress after everything that's been happening lately," she sighed.

"Well, lucky for you, I have a portable decompression machine in my trunk that I can bring with us," I joked, hoping to lift her spirits.

"Aren't I the envy of every girl in the world, then?"

"No... though I would debate that I was the envy of every male that has ever been in your vicinity- not too close of course!" I hurriedly added like the desperate love-sick fool I was.

"Of course not. No one will ever be as close as you and I are Lover Boy." I sighed in relief at her reassurance. "I know that you're usually studying right now. Perhaps we could both bring what we have left of our assignments and get them done together?"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to muddle up our date by making us-"

"Absolutely. Honestly, I've been meaning to get to it all but...," she trailed off sighing again.

"I understand. Alright, it's settled then, when shall I pick you up?"

"Hmm..." she paused to think a moment."How about half an hour? I want to look my best for you." She suddenly sounded shy although it was completely unfounded.

"I shall promptly arrive to escort you then, my love," I promised.

"Good... Edward?" My ears perked up at hearing my name.

"Yes, sweet girl?"

"I know that I haven't been the best girlfriend as of late and I just... well I just wanted to say thank you for being so understanding, and to tell you that I love you," she spoke sincerely.

"Oh Bella, I know you love me. Just as I love you."

"Alright, well I only have twenty-eight minutes left to get dressed, so I'm going to go now."

"Until then," I said before hanging up the phone.

After properly er, cleaning myself up in the shower, I dressed in what I knew Bella would like- my gray button up with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of dark jeans. I noticed that every time I wore this combination of clothing she couldn't seem to stop stumbling over her words and staring at it for reasons beyond me. _Who am I to question it though? _I was rather pleased with that reaction.

Descending the stairs, I immediately noticed new additions to the frames on the wall at the very bottom of the stairs. It was one that I hadn't seen taken though I knew when they were each taken. My mother had a penchant for photography and loved to capture candid moments that she cherishes the most. I really did know her to be just as taken with my girl as I was, only, I should have expected her to want to have these moments on film just as she had with the rest.

The first was of Bella and I sitting on the couch in my living room during her most recent visit when she decided to 'school me' on the wonders of Star Trek's first season, which she claims is the best one although she isn't opposed to the others. In the picture I am sitting up in the corner of the couch and Bella is stretched out with her legs curled up and resting her head on my thigh. I am gazing at her with a smirk on my face as she laughs at one of the cheesy lines that was said.

The next was one was a picture that my dad must have taken on that same day as my mom and Bella stood side-by-side wearing my mother's aprons; they were special ordered online with comedic lines adorning the front instead of the typical 'Kiss the cook' piece. Their faces were both shining with brilliant smiles on their faces, flour on their aprons, and dough on their hands as they made the most appetizing cookies I'd ever eaten.

The last frame hanging on the wall caused a ferocious blush to creep up my face as I saw Bella and my impromptu make out session on the front porch that day when I first introduced her to my parents. It was a zoomed in photo of the two of us locked in what could be an amusing position after the initial embarrassment wore off. Bella stood with her eyes closed underneath her black rimmed glasses, hand clutching my neck to ensure our mouths stayed locked together, and one of my lips between her own. I, on the other hand, stood frozen with my eyes widened in surprise underneath my own spectacles. I didn't know whether to laugh or steal the picture. That sneaky, meddling mother of mine played herself off as nonchalant when we entered the house- I had absolutely no idea about her spying on our private moment. I took a moment to thank the higher powers that it was her walking in on us rather than the other way around... that would surely scar my sweet girl and I irreparably.

Shaking my head with a small smile on my face, I wandered into the kitchen only to see Alice folding up an extra thick quilt to set on top of the impromptu picnic that she insisted on gathering together for us with a misplaced frown as opposed to her usually uplifting persona.

"Ali, is everything alright with you? It isn't as if I am ungrateful for your forwardness in my romantic life, it's simply that this is out of character for you... Or I had no idea that you were that invested in Bella and my happiness," I said.

"To be honest, I'm happy for you! Really, I am. I know that technically we aren't related at all but to me you've always been like a brother to me rather than a 'cousin' so I don't want you to think that this has anything to do with you. I would talk to you about it but I _really_ don't want to bring you down as the Debbie downer," she explained with a sigh.

"Come here, bunny," I used the shortened version of the nickname 'energizer bunny' like I used to call her when we were younger. Slowly she worked her way over to the chair I pointed to and sat down. Bending down to be eye level with her, I began to talk.

"Listen, Bunny, you know you can talk to me. Whatever it is, I want you to always be aware that you can sit down with me anytime. It is imperative that you do so- you know that it is hard for me to see you so sad." It really was upsetting for me. She was such a shy little thing when she first arrived here that I found we were able to have our own special relationship with one another; we simply understood each other, always. If I ever were to have a sibling I would immediately volley to have Alice on the top of that list, though now that she's eighteen I suppose the sentiment is now null and void.

"I know Gadget, but you have your girl now. You don't have any more time for me," she lamented after using her teasing nickname for me she always used. I really don't see how I resembled Inspector Gadget in anyway.

"That's utterly ridiculous and you know it, Ali. I'm always at home and you have dinner at our house nearly every night. Now tell me what's really being processed in that brain of yours." I knew of her inclination to redirect conversations from anything that was actually happening. Sighing exasperatedly this time, she gave up.

"Alright, I'm lonely OK? You have Bella and Emmy has Rose and I have fucking _James._" Ah yes, the bane of my existence. Emmett and I never approved of her affection towards the brute, however, Alice was adamant that he was her soul mate. She loved the way that he treated her, though all I ever saw was him being rough and forceful with her while treating her like a possession. Many a time she had come to my room crying over the foul mouthed animal, and I'd been at my wits end with it all.

"Look, I see the expression on your face and before you get riled up, Nacho Libre, let me explain. I know that he isn't good for me, alright? I get it. But you don't know what it's like for me. Sure you don't hang out with the same group as me but it's a lot harder than it seems. When James started showing interest in me it was so new and fresh that I found it all thrilling. Looking back, I see it all for what it is, really I do. After a while though, I fell for him in those three years we were together- at least I thought I did- and I was willing to forgive him. You know, overlook his flaws or whatever. Now, though... I don't know, I'm willing to put up with a lot of shit but cheating just isn't my thing. I found him in his car at lunch ime feeling up some girl and told her that she could have him. Good riddance.

"It's been a while now though and I kinda miss having that certain someone to spend all your time with and thinking about. I want that again, ya know, Edward?"

"Ali, I know you aren't insinuating that you need a male companion, or, er... a female companion I suppose if that's what you preferred," I said uncomfortably.

"No, asshole, I'm not gay. I don't think. Holy shit, you think I am? Maybe that's why things have never worked out in my relationships before. You think?" She rambled, and I was once again left with an overwhelming feeling of confusion.

"I have no idea, bunny. That's all your decision to make. I will tell you that cliché of anybody being lucky to have you because I firmly believe it to be the truth. Until then let's make plans for you and Bella to be introduced; you'll adore her, I promise you. Who knows? Maybe Emmett would be interested in accompanying us?" I suggested.

"Oh Gadget, I knew I could count on you to cheer me up! Ok tell your Lady Love I said what's up and that I can't wait to meet her. Now it's not nice to leave a lady waiting, so you better get going. I packed everything that you will need, including a roll of paper towels," she told me, finishing it off with a brilliant smile, obviously proud of herself. With a parting kiss to her cheek, I was out of the house and in my car on the way to escort my Bella on a relaxing day.

Arriving in front of her house, I inadvertently smiled at the thought of being reacquainted with my love in just a few moments. _Today was going to be perfect._

Of course my plan to entice the beauty with my choice of attire for the day was entirely useless when the door opened to reveal the most angelic looking mortal to ever grace the earth. There she stood with her long chestnut locks flowing in gentle, natural waves that framed her face and was pulled back with a a hair clip on one side to ensure I could see her face as a slight blush covered her satiny skin. Looking down her body, I was generously offered the only front row seat to view her body and every curve in the soft, beige fabrics that made up her feminine blouse and skirt. I was partially envious of the cloth for being more attuned to her body's shape than I was before shaking off the ridiculous notion. _Jealous of inanimate objects,_ I thought with a shake of the head before addressing the deity in front of me.

"You have rendered me speechless. Bella, you are... stunning, a vision. Words cannot do justice to how you look right now."

"W- um, you l-look, er...," she stopped her stumbling words to take a deep breath and force her to meet my eyes before speaking again. "Dashing."

"Oh well, Alice assured me that it fit the standards of the new '_fashion bible'_ that she purchased; her words, not mine, I assure you. Something by someone named Christian Dior?" I inquired, wondering if she was privy to the information that the book offered.

"I think that's a designer. Renee went through a fashionista phase two years ago and I'm almost certain that was a male fashion something or other." She shrugged with her eyes squinted as she thought.

"Will the beautiful lady allow me the privilege of escorting her on a date?" I formally requested, earning a little eye roll as her lips twitched against the urge to laugh, I'm sure.

"It would be a dream come true," she replied.

Grabbing my hand with her own, she wrapped her other hand around the same arm as we made the short journey to our transportation for the day. I loved driving with Bella in the car with me. She would make small comments or observations, mention things that suddenly appear in her thoughts and I constantly reveled in the chance to have an insight into what was going on in her head.

"Your hands and my hands have a peculiar way of fitting together," I mentioned as we made our way through the unmarked path to our destination.

"It's because we were meant to be together, Lover Boy. We were given: two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs, but only one heart; because we are supposed to find the other... You're my other," she explained with a small smile on her face as she navigated through the wild life on our path to the meadow.

"That reminds me," she went on. "You're unlikely to ever find a French angelfish alone — they live, travel, and even hunt in pairs. The fish form monogamous bonds which often last as long as at least one of the individuals are alive. In fact, they act as a team to vigorously defend their territory against neighboring pairs. Did you know that?" she questioned as I processed the information she had just provided me with.

Shaking my head in the negative, I answered her. "Are you calling me a fish?"

"No, Lover Boy," she playfully responded. "I'm merely comparing us to angelfish. Unless of course, you disagree with their way of life?" I shook my head.

Upon our arrival, I immediately set about unfolding the quilt that was packed away in the exceptionally large picnic basket as Bella dropped her bag on the ground and removed the sandals that were on her slim feet.

"Ok, I finished everything but the English project that's due on Tuesday, so I'm going to work on that. What about you?" Bella asked.

"I have little bits of things to finish up, like the lab follow up, studying for calculus, things like that." Thus began our brief, yet indefinable venture into what would become our new routine.

I had just deposited my lab notebook into my book bag, having completed the assignment, when I saw Bella staring at the trees at the edge of our sanctuary with a solemn look upon her face. With Alice I simply disliked when she was upset. With Bella, however, it was as if I felt her pain somehow. Perhaps we were linked in some spiritual level, beyond scientific knowledge, or maybe this was what happened when you found your 'other half', but either way, I disliked it greatly. Holding out my hand to her, I urged her to move closer; imagine my surprise when she climbed into my lap with a nonchalant attitude, as if we have done this all the time. _I think not! Though I wouldn't mind continually feeling her firm bottom on my thighs; perhaps an everyday occurrence?_ Focus!

"Is there something troubling you, Mon Agnelle?" I gently inquired, wanting there to be an honest communication between the two of us to ensure her happiness.

"I was just thinking of my mom."

"You don't mention her frequently," I observed like a pompous jack ass.

"I know... I just haven't... come to terms with everything with her yet. I don't like to dwell on the negative when I can surround myself with the positive. It just seems that whether I like it or not, she's always on the edge of my conscience," she explained vaguely. I decided this was a time for listening, rather than a time for speaking, and remained silent as she gathered her thoughts.

"My mom and I... we were always so different from one another, yet the same in others- such a conundrum. When she first left Charlie, she was the epitome of a working mom- schedules, meetings, office, things like that. As time went on, though, she began to '_expand her horizons',_ as she called it. It started with finding different hobbies and worked her way up to becoming a full time yoga instructor. Once she opened her own studio, I was there all the time from when I was twelve years old and I loved it all. The environment was so calm and peaceful, and you learned a lot about how the body works, believe it or not. Heck, I still do yoga when I need to calm myself.

"It wasn't until she met some Tantra guru, Phil, that things changed. Before, it was a better way of life- stress free, open schedule, etc. Only when she met him did it become a way of life. After a week and a half, he was already fully moved in with her and they had transformed the house into something that resembled Arabian Nights. It wasn't until they started having their... er, _rituals_ that things became too awkward to bare anymore."

"Awkward how? What were these rituals? Nothing dangerous, I would hope," I cut in. Not that I have a problem with the life decisions others make, I simply wanted to be certain that _my Bella_ was far from any danger. _Whether I knew her then or not hadn't seemed to occur to me yet._

"Tantra is more than simply yoga; it integrates itself into your lifestyle. Every aspect of it... er, like in the bedroom," she explained with raised eyebrows and a furious blush, imploring me to understand. That was when I resolved to keep my thoughts and questions to myself for the duration of this discussion.

"Anyways, things were different and Miranda, my best friend, had moved to New York with her aunt since she had graduated already, so there was nothing requiring me to stay. As much as I dislike Phil, he isn't harmful in any sense so I knew he had the ability to look after my mother. I just didn't expect her to be so hateful about me leaving. She saw it as me abandoning her, _'just like that miserable father of yours,'_ is what she'd said to me. Ironic enough, it was the other way around. I'm sure there are other things that I don't know or understand, but it still causes hurts me that it had happened. I love my mom, Edward. I love my mom," she concluded as tears welled in her eyes, though I knew she refused to let gravity take over.

She placed her forehead on my chin as she sat on my lap and I attempted to help soothe her turmoil. I took comfort in the fact that I was the one here to help her get through all of this and that I always would be. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that her and I were a unit; wherever one was, the other was sure to be close no matter the distance between us. Our emotional connection at this moment seemed to have heightened in what I would have thought was an unthinkable amount before I met this wonderful girl, though now it all made perfect sense to me. Granted, I'd hardly spent any time deliberating emotions in the past in favor of observing scenarios with an action/reaction frame of mind, but I suppose that's another way that Bella complements me.

Holding her in my arms has always been a treat for me, although now it was as if I was holding the most precious of objects as I cradled her delicate body to my own. Feeling her shuddering inhale, I tightened my grip on this remarkable girl and watched as she lifted her head to gaze into my eyes before placing her hands on my forearms. This moment, though somewhat innocent comparatively, was the most intimate of my life so far. Rubbing her hands up and down my forearms, she began to speak.

"Edward?"

"Mon agnelle," I said it rather than questioned.

"I think we should get back to work."

"For the first time in my life I am going to disagree with that remark," I told her as I tightened my grip on her beautifully dressed form. As much as I try to remain a gentleman I can't deny the urge I have to discover her physically. I am constantly intrigued with the urge to feel her skin, and wondering if her breasts taste the same as her lips and jaw. Those thoughts alone were eliciting a tingling in my pants that I was attempting to ignore in the hopes that it would disappear. _Now's not the time for that, idiot!_

"Well you're gonna have to earn it, then," she spoke teasingly with a hint of seriousness in the depths of her dark eyes.

"If it's anything to do with academia then I am fairly confident I can win over your affections," I joked.

"Nope, sorry... it's a little less structured than that...," she paused to sit her frame up straight, push her glasses up and clear her throat before continuing. "What's the password?"

I took a moment trying my hardest not to crack a smile at her completely serious expression, but I couldn't help when a small snort escaped when I saw her own lips twitching as she waited for my reaction. _Alright, time to contemplate, Edward._

"Hmm, open sesame?" She shook her head.

"Abracadabra?"

"That's a magic word, not a password, so no!" she emphatically explained while finishing it up, distractingly, with a childish move of sticking out her tongue. _Oh the need I had to suck on that tongue._

"Pretty please with a geek on top?" She shook her head again.

"On bottom," I suggested with a waggle of my brows. Head shake. _Hmm, this is tougher than I expected._ Then I had a thought, but it couldn't possibly be that simple.

"I love you," I answered wholeheartedly as I watched her face soften with an extravagant smile before slowly nodding her head in the affirmative and leaning her face towards my own.

Permission granted. I leaned into her and captured her pouty lips with mine and began to move them in tandem. She cupped my face, her fingers rubbing along the smooth expanse of my jaw as our tongues twirled and tasted, never quite learning enough of the other to tire of this dance. When the need for air became prevalent, I began to lick and nibble my way down her soft neck towards her shoulder. I noticed a spot on the middle of her neck towards the back that elicited my favorite reaction to date. She became extremely responsive, small noises escaped her mouth as her body moved closer to my own while she clutched me firmly, and began to suction my lips around the area to ensure she found this as enjoyable as I was.

What both pleased and surprised me the most was when she clutched my head to her neck, ensuring I wouldn't move and pressed her breasts directly against my chest, thus urging me on. I was momentarily shocked when a buzz of electricity shot through my body as her hands ventured over me.

"Frick, that feels _exceptionally_ good, Lover Boy," she said in a breathy voice that helped stir the nether regions of my body back to life despite the self love I administered no less than an hour ago. She knew I liked it when she spoke like that. Some have a thing for dirty talk, it would seem I have a thing for proper talk. "Firmer, Edward."

Knowing that if I used any more pressure, there would be a mark on her slender neck from my own doing, my mind was sent on a tangent. _Who was I to deny this siren her desire? _She made me feel like a man, like her protector, and all I wanted to do was show her everything I felt for her.

"I love you, Edward."

"Mmm," I hummed happily against her neck. Her hands immediately, and again with unexpectedness,

gripped my clothes, turning into fists in my shirt and pulling me closer to her. "I love you too," I

said softly against her silken skin.

"You already told me that," she breathed.

I chuckled. "I know, Mon Agnelle, but I like telling you."

"I like telling you too," she agreed. "So, I love you too, too."

Eventually, she began trailing her hands up and down my sides. As her hips pressed into mine, I could feel her - there - and it was taking everything in me not to let out a loud moan, not knowing exactly what I needed, but knowing that somehow if she pressed just a little harder and moved just a bit more, I could get to the place my body was aching for.

A red heat crept up her neck and she looked down innocently. She laced her fingers with mine and guided them to her chest where I could feel the round, firm... yet softness of her breasts. I'd never really given thought to what a breast would feel like in my hands, though now to be experiencing it myself, I couldn't imagine depriving myself of Bella's again. They were perfect- I loved how my hands covered the entire diameter of them, and when I applied pressure to her mounds, they gave in almost willingly. My breathing increased when I thought about repeating these actions without the barrier of our clothes on. _Patience you pervert!_

I paused to kiss her jawline, which I knew from experience would make her shiver — not from cold, but from desire. The thought itself was mind boggling, but I wasn't about to tempt fate by questioning it. In a swift motion Bella raised her head to my ear and did some sort of swirling motion with her tongue that caused me to instinctively grip her hips in my hands and press her against the hardness that was painfully straining against my jeans, though I couldn't allow myself to pause our motions to remove the offending garment. I could feel the heat and tension passing through my thighs as I listened to her gasp.

Little silver flecks were dancing behind my eyelids and I was breathing heavily. I sucked her skin of her neck in the same spot as before as I listened to her murmur, "Edward... I'm so close..." My hands gripped her bottom and squeezed, pushing her harder against me when those words left her lips.

I drove up into her one final time and felt my entire body stiffen then shudder below her as she bit down into my shoulder to muffle the sigh that marked her own release. Our tongues teased, tasted, explored; our lips conformed and sucked where they could, our teeth grazed and nipped. The sensations that overtook my body were completely new, yet somehow familiar, solidifying that we were meant to be together.

"That was... there are no words," I finally managed to say.

"I know. Incredible. That's the best I can do while my brain feels like mush. Ask me again later and I'll try again." She giggled at her own comment, which only made my smile grow wider. It's ridiculous, the things this girl does to me. _I wouldn't change it for the world, though. _Of course that is when my phone decided to ring. Shaking my head I noticed that the caller ID read Jasper_. __What the hell could he possibly want right this minute?__  


* * *

_

**Review? Favorite Parts?  
Check out my blog (link on profile) for TEASERS this time (reviews weren't working for some people this week, so if you still want to leave one and it doesn't work, then you could leave it in a PM, but the teaser will be on my blog if you don't) & info on everything else. Now I'm going to let you know I was going to leave you all hanging with a cliffe but I didn't have the heart to do that to you.**

**Also, there's a new awesome contest on the FWC (link on profile). Contests are a good way to get started in the fandom if you haven't already. One more thing! If you haven't heard already, there's something called the Fandom4Preemies going on (much like the Fandom for Haiti) that I am participating in. for more information check out my profile for the link.  
**

**x**


	6. Contradictions

**Disclaimer: Surprise everyone! I don't own anything but a brand new laptop and an adorable kitten from my birthday... Yes I know you're shocked ;)**

**A/n at the bottom. This chp. is dedicated to AndYouLoveHer for her help. As always teaser pictures are on my blog (lecrepusculeswords. blogspot. com) Enjoy!  
**

* * *

This afternoon was entirely unexpected, and out of all the craziest scenarios I had thought of, it most certainly wasn't like this. Was it wrong that I was already wondering when we could revisit those... erm, emotions? Because after we were able to clean ourselves up enough (even though the mess in my pants couldn't fully be cleaned), those thoughts were already floating around in my over-hormonal, teenage brain. The thing was that I couldn't get rid of them. Didn't want to is more like it.

I wanted to know what was appropriate discussion after such an... activity, and I hadn't the slightest idea of where to begin. "Oh hey, mon agnelle, thanks for kick-starting my sexual appetite. I had no idea that such wonders in the world existed, you know, since I'm entirely inexperienced. What about you?" Yeah, I wasn't exactly sure I wanted the answer to that. I would be the first to admit that I was not entirely confident. When it came to my relationship with Bella, however, I had less than zero confidence. Constantly floundering would be a more appropriate phrase. Funny enough, I never knew that about myself; I always thought I was comfortable in my own skin until Bella came along. I wouldn't trade anything that happened for the world, but I found it interesting that I was learning so much about myself since I found her... or perhaps she found me?

This unassuming girl who had problems with her stability stumbled into my world and turned everything upside down. Or maybe it was now right side up? The only thing that I knew was that I sincerely doubted that I could go back to the way things were; in fact, I refused to do so. If she were to change her mind about us, I wouldn't begrudge her for the choice; it could be the right one after all. My grandfather told me several years ago about his first meeting my grandmother. Very cliché, really- a beautiful spring day, and she was at the park for a stroll when his dog ran, coincidentally straight to her. The thing that stuck out the most to me was when that hard, stoic man described to me the sensations that he felt when he took her hand.

Electric. Shocking. Tingling. Buzzing. Vibrating. Many words could be used to describe that feeling he told me about. How I knew this was because I discovered it myself with my sweet girl. I had a preference for the term warmth. Any time I held her hand or brushed my fingers across her slight blush, I felt an instant warmth jolt from her person to mine, straight to my soul, it would seem. It was mesmerizing, captivating. I had given up any hope of finding a rational explanation for it... it left me with conclusions that I would have previously scoffed at. Fate? Destiny? Soul mate? Was I getting ahead of myself? I was unsure. For the first time in my life it had become a recurring theme with me, and I was almost embracing it.

Hearing a gasp next to me, I turned to see Bella holding her hand up in front of her face with a tiny ladybug on her finger. It was endearing how innocent the picture was; I remembered hearing the girls in my class talk about the lady bugs they had collected in a bottle during recess when we were growing up.

"I've always found ladybugs to be magical on a level with unicorns. They aren't very common in Arizona because of the heat, so I rarely ever saw them. I saw them mostly when I came out here to visit my dad after my mom moved us away."

"Well, lucky for you, they're pretty common out here. Especially along the walls of my house; I once read that they prefer vertical, light color walls," I informed her earning a beautiful smile in return.

"I love that you know that," she mentioned.

"My knowledge of ladybugs? Or in general?"

"In general, of course... erm, we should probably finish our work if we want to have a chance at spending some more time together this weekend."

"Agreed; plus, we'll be running out of daylight soon," I remarked before gathering my notes and textbooks again to finish up what was left of my assignments.

When the daylight started to disappear, we began to pack up our belongings in preparation to leave the safe haven that we had made out of this little piece of forest in the middle of Forks, Washington. I watched as she pulled her eyeglasses off of the her face and placed them in a protective carrying case much like my own.

"I've been meaning to ask you... Why have you been wearing your glasses more often?"

"Oh, well, I wore my contacts when I first got here, but my allergies are giving me dry eyes; it's ironic, given the wet climate we have here and all. Plus, I usually only need them for reading since I have an astigmatism, but when I'm stressed I get headaches... which strains my eyes a bit," she explained, before finishing up with a shrug as if all of these menial facts about her were dull at best. I, however, found myself almost yearning to know all of the little things that made up my sweet girl. "What about you?"

"What about me?" I asked, honestly thrown off since I was so lost in my own thoughts.

"Your glasses, silly. You've been wearing yours non-stop as long as I have. Don't think I haven't noticed, mister."

"Oh, I need to renew my prescription at the optometrist and haven't had the time... simple, really," I replied.

"Gotcha."

Before anything else could be said, the ringing of her phone broke through the quiet serenity of our meadow.

"Mom?" Bella asked tentatively, almost as if she was afraid of her own mother. "I'm doing well, thanks for- Oh, no I'm not with dad... yes, I'm out of the house... Well, I've been trying to get a hold of you because I wanted to tell you about something important that's happened recently. You remember me telling you about- Mom, stop. No wait, I wanted to tell you... Yes, I know. I will. You too. Goodbye." From what I could tell from that conversation, things weren't going very well between the two of them. My poor agnelle.

"Is everything alright, my love?" I inquired softly, hoping to restore the serenity of our sanctuary.

"Yeah. She's considering leaving the country with Phil on Wednesday and she thought that telling me today was an ample amount of time for me to be aware of her leaving... whatever. Let's just go, ok?" she pleaded with me while leaving little kisses along my jawline in an almost entirely distracting manner. Needless to say that while nothing went too far, we still didn't make it back to my vehicle until the sun nearly set.

"I used to sit outside and stare at the stars when I was little. I would doubt that the sun was really a big ball of fire, and that the stars weren't really made out of glitter," Bella commented as I pulled out onto the highway away from our favorite place in town.

"I used to think the sun was a giant basketball in the sky. The colors matched; of course, this was before I had the proper facts and knew that basketballs do not blind you like the sun does," I said as I chuckled.

"I always wondered why basketballs were orange."

"Oh, it was simply to make the recreational equipment more noticeable to the team as well as the crowd," I explained.

"You're perfect, have I mentioned that?" she remarked with an intense look in her eyes when I glanced over at her before safely setting my gaze on the road again- safety first and all of that.

"I'm far from perfect, mon agnelle," I whispered sadly.

"Ok, fine... only because no one's perfect. But you're definitely perfect for me." She finished up her acquiescence with a kiss to my cheek as we pulled up in front of her father's home. And isn't it just my luck that her father was pulling into the driveway at that moment as well? Yes, that was sarcasm.

"I love you, Lover Boy," Bella whispered just before her lips touched mine in a chaste good-bye kiss as I helped her out of the car. Quite frankly, it was probably best given everything that we had done with one another earlier that day.

"Je sens la même chose pour vous," I whispered back to her as we broke apart, telling her I felt the same, and that I loved her. "Je t'aime, Bella."

"Oh son of a biscuit making monkey...," she whimpered with one last longing look at me before opening her door just as her dad approached my idling vehicle.

"Hey, baby girl," He said with a wary look in his eyes as he pulled her body closer to him.

The chief of police was a young, strong looking man whose body language indicated exactly how he received such a position in his career. I promptly concluded that he was sophisticated and adored his one and only daughter. Looking closer at him, I noticed that there seemed to be a fatigue about him in his eyes. It was hard to determine whether it was present due to the natural aged features on his face or if there really was something wearing him out. I was hoping for the former with all my heart. I could never wish an ill fate for another human being.

"Daddy, I wasn't expecting you home yet. I don't have any dinner started, obviously, so how's leftovers sound?" Distraction tactics. I knew there was a reason why she's my other half.

"Bella, who's your friend?" Sure, stress the word friend why don't you. This was uncomfortable.

"Well, you see... it's just that... Frick! I didn't know that telling your dad you finally have a boyfriend would be so hard," she rambled which put me at ease. Rambling was her nervous tick.

"Boyfriend, eh?" Was that a grunt at the end? That couldn't possibly good.

"Yeah, remember me telling you about Edward? Well I sort of asked him out a while back and-," she hurried to explain before he cut her off with a small laugh that he couldn't seem to contain as he hugged her tightly for a moment.

"I know who he is, don't stress. I have to say, I'm not surprised that you asked him out; you always have been impatient. Edward, it's nice to finally meet you. I hate to cut this short, but I gotta go get changed and relax for a while. I'm feeling a little tired so we can just order a pizza; no stress baby girl," he said as he rubbed Bella's back before walking away. I let out a huge gust of air that I had no idea I was holding as he opened the front door and slipped in the house. My sigh alerted Bella to my emotional torrent at the moment.

"Ah, did he make you nervous, Lover Boy?" She teased. I was obviously not going to admit to my nervousness.

"That is a negative, mon agnelle," I responded with a white lie.

"Right... well, I better get inside with Charlie... you know, in case he changes his mind about letting you off scot-free. I'll see you later." Did she seriously mention that and then laugh at me? I wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with sarcasm at the moment

"Until then."

"Until then," she whispered back before turning around and heading up her driveway to her house.

The knowledge that her father didn't present a negative reaction to me on top of the rather surreal events of the day had me on a bit of an emotional high. However, I knew the effects of using any form of toxic substance, and I was in no way interested in putting myself through that. Before I knew it, I was pulling up in front of my house and immediately I knew that something was most assuredly wrong, thus sending my previously relaxed form into a state of panic.

The front door was ajar and the sounds of Alice's screeching voice could be heard carrying through the whole street. Immediately, I reacted on instinct and ran to access the situation, though not before grabbing the baseball bat that Emmett must have left in the bushes from when he was over this week. I was not entirely sure what I expected to happen when I walked inside that door. In my mind, I would have burst through the door, seen the intruder, and knocked his lights out, ideally at least. In real life? Not quite as exciting, unfortunately.

As I inched the door open to get an idea of what was going on, I heard the distinct voice of my good friend Jasper unsuccessfully attempting to calm the situation down.

"If you'd calm down I would be more than willing to explain, I assure you-," he began only to be cut off by my cousin.

"I don't fucking care, you asshole. You better back the hell up before I shove the spike of my boot up your dick!" She exclaimed, at which point I decided to intervene before it could get progressively worse.

Entering the room fully, I saw her pushing against his chest in a valiant effort of removing him from her proximity. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't quite as strong as she'd hoped, though Jasper had been respectful and obligingly backed up a good 5 feet. That was when he noticed me standing at the door with what was surely an amusing expression upon my face.

"Did I miss something?" I asked with much less authority than I'd been hoping for; Such is life, I suppose.

"No, just warn me next time you plan to let assholes over, so I can steer clear!" She was now directing her ire at me, the innocent bystander... wonderful. Just as I was opening my mouth to spout off what, I was still unsure of, she was storming out of the door in a huff, causing us both to wince at the sound of the door slamming.

"Not that I'm unhappy of your rather abrupt arrival, but do you mind telling me what you're doing here, and why there is glass all over the floor?" I decided that addressing the most pressing issue would be the wise decision as I began carefully maneuvering myself around the shards of glass towards the kitchen.

"I knew that you weren't home because of your post on Twitter, so I used the hidden key your parents hid for emergencies... However, I was unaware of there being anyone else here," he explained, while helping me clean up the still mysterious shattered bowl of what looked to be cereal. "So when I walked in the door and saw that girl here, I panicked. I made a noise that startled her and ruined her impromptu dinner."

"Right," I responded, unable to come up with an appropriate response.

Something you should know about Jasper was that had an extremely paranoid mind. He didn't use very many electronics with the purpose of communication for his belief that the government was monitoring all of it, and he wanted to keep everything to himself. To each his own, I supposed. The most humorous part of it all was that he was the one who convinced me to get an account on Twitter so that he could keep track of me when he could; only, he refused to make an account himself. It was completely ridiculous if you asked me, but I knew that I had my own quirks that others wouldn't understand, so I kept this to myself.

"Might I ask what your intentions were, staying in my empty house?" I dared to inquire.

"I was going to scope the place out for bugs," he said with a meaningful wink in my direction. You had to commend him for his dedication, that was for sure.

"Uh huh. Well, I'll leave you to that... I'm going to jump in the shower," I said as I walk away.

I really should have expected something like this from him; he'd done it before. I simply thought him having a girlfriend would have taken up his impulsive decisions. Perhaps not, I mused to myself as I gathered up the belongings that Jasper would need to use tonight while he slept on the couch. Besides the fact that he preferred to sleep in an open room, I also refused to share my room with him. Call me finicky, but I didn't want him snooping in my belongings. Come to think of it, the only person I would allow to go through my things was my sweet girl. At times, it was almost startling how much I'd changed without even realizing it, considering my aversion to it. The thing that striked me the most was the fact that I didn't really mind it. If I had to choose between the person I was before my Bella and being who I was now? There wouldn't be a choice... Bella was my everything.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd quit looking at me like that," Jasper griped at me, thus startling me out of my thoughts as I made sure the couch was made up.

"Like what?" I inquired casually, wanting to keep the interrogation at bay if he were to catch on to me.

"I know what you're thinking, and I'm not hiding from her."

"You're not hiding? Why would you assume I believe that? And just to clarify, I'm guessing you're referring to Carmen?"

"Of course her, who else would you think I would be hiding from? I don't socialize much!"

"Right. Well, why don't you tell me why you're not hiding from Carmen?" I managed to question with a straight face knowing if my face gave way to my amusement he would be none too pleased with me.

"I would think it's rather obvious. We've been dating for a while and things have been steadily progressing, as they should. It's every man's dream, correct?"

"Applying your statement to my limited knowledge and experience, I would have to concur."

"Right... then there isn't an issue. I'm heading to sleep now. Good night," he said as he pulled back the blankets and lay down on the couch.

Shaking my head at the conundrum that was Jasper Whitlock, I turned off the lights and made sure the house was locked up before making my way up the stairs to sleep as well.

I could see the morning light through my eyelids as I began to regain consciousness, and realized that the thing that woke me up was a pair of soft lips leaving a trail of warmth along my face. Utterly confused, I opened one eye only to see a blurry figure of brown and peach hovering to my right. Opening both eyes and squinting a little, I attempted to have my brain make sense of what was happening when I could suddenly see my glasses coming towards my face before sliding on slowly.

Blinking my eyes to adjust to the sudden change, I braced myself to discover what was the cause of this most out of the norm moment.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" Bella's voice sang softly while a warm hand brushed through my hair.

"I do hope that means you have breakfast prepared; otherwise, I am prepared to declare you a tease," I muttered with a smile as I gazed up at my sweet girl. Reaching up to the back of her head, I threaded my fingers through her hair and brought her towards me with the intention of placing a kiss on her forehead when she surprised me by adjusting her trajectory straight to my mouth... bad breath be damned, I suppose.

Her soft lips caressed mine with the slightest pressure and I was lost. I never imagined that a simple connecting of lips could elicit such a response. The idea of a kiss before Bella was so foreign that I almost didn't understand the entire concept. Almost. It was hard to deny the evidence when it was presented in front of you on a constant basis- my parents. True, they may have had a less than idealistic beginning to their relationship; however, something was behind it all. I deduced it must have been the feelings each of them provoked in one another that kept them together. Bella would probably tell you it was fated or something, but that was besides the point.

"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" she retorted, pulling away and turning around to grab what appeared to be a silver tray with a plate with a heaping serving of eggs and bacon and a cup of orange juice with two straws to the side.

"Astounding... you never cease to amaze me," I murmured while looking back up at her to see her biting her lip while gazing at me with her eyes shining with an indescribably intense emotion.

"Anywho, I brought enough for the both of us. I would have been better prepared but I was attacked by your cousin Alice. She said that we were all going out today- her, us, and Emmett and Rosalie? She mentioned something about a pesky rodent probably tagging along as well, and that you would know what that means." At least she remembered to mention Jasper.

"I apologize but, my brain seems to be waking up a bit slower than the rest of me. Alice showed up at your house? What in the world?" I was beginning to question bunny's sanity when she walked in the room. Deja vu... frak!

"Yes you told me that you'd ask her if we could all hang out, remember? I figured since that was yesterday, today would be acceptable... Was I wrong?" she asked with an uncertain look on her face.

I took a moment to consider this before deciding it was too early for this and simply answering with a shake of my head in the negative.

"Good, so eat your breakfast and meet me downstairs while I make sure Emmett meets us here with his Jeep," she announced with a large smile before turning around and exiting the room, thus leaving mon agnelle and I alone in the room. My room. I was left with a particularly uncomfortable situation from a mixture of the dreams I was having of her and the kiss we just shared. This shall be interesting.

"So, who was the giant snoring on your couch downstairs?" Bella asked as we both began to eat the meal she so graciously provided us both. I was particularly loving the orange juice that I was informed was freshly squeezed and made especially by my girl. It somehow made it even more delicious. I noticed Bella watching me very intently as I enjoyed the glass of orange heaven and had to wonder why.

"Ahh, well that would be my good friend Jasper back from college for the weekend... at least I hope it's only the weekend."

"Ok," she said as she dragged the word out a little with a sly smile on her face.

"It's not that I dislike him, I simply prefer to spend time with most people in doses for my own sanity. He's extremely paranoid and it tends to rub off if I expose myself to him in large quantities. Strangely enough, you're the only paradox I've found... ever," I told her in a quiet voice while looking directly into her eyes to ensure my point was understood. I loved her more than life itself and though the concept was a bit leery at first I couldn't imagine it any other way now.

"You are my life Isabella Swan. Now, forever... it will always be you, mon agnelle," I whispered.

"I don't want to be your whole life, I just want to be your favorite part," she whispered back while stroking the side of my face.

Leaning in closer to her, I told her that it was too late, it had already happened, and proceeded to give my girl a proper greeting that was worthy of her. Too bad it didn't last.

"Up, up, up, you two! We have people to do and things to see... er, wait. Don't tell Rosie I said that," Emmett said with a wink in a very flushed Bella's direction. "Now if it were me I would have left the two of you as you were since I know the feeling. That looks like it was heading somewhere very nice. But I was sent in by the Piglet and I cannot fight with her again. Mom will have my ass if she tattles again... but what can ya do, ya know?" Why is he going through my drawers?

"Emmett, that's all nice, but what is it exactly that you are doing over there?" I inquired.

"I'm picking out your clothes for you since you're not in any position to get up at the moment. Trust me man, been there, done that and all that shit," he shared with a brotherly nod in my direction.

"I'm just going to …. uh... I-gotta go," Bella hurriedly said before leaving the room.

"Sorry man, I didn't mean to scare her off. I can go apologize if you want," he said with an earnest expression on his face.

"Would you just tell her you didn't mean anything by it while I get dressed? I know from experience that it takes some time to get used to your brand of arbitrary."

"Uh huh, don't think I'm not going to look that word up later on. I'll leave you alone to get ready for now."

Twenty minutes later, I was ready to head out the door and met everyone outside to get into the vehicle. Jasper and Emmett occupied the front seats while Bella draped her legs over mine; the other girls copied this position to make more room on the bench seat. I was very much enjoying the position as it allowed me to caress her legs where her dress ended and knee high socks began. The best part? It was as if we were in our own world as she played with my hands again and I listened to her nonsensical comments. I always had and always would cherish the inside look into her mind that these comments provided.

Upon arriving in Port Angeles, we meandered between different stores that looked interesting enough until Bella began to distance off from the group a little, allowing me to have a moment or so alone with her.

"And where, pray tell, do you think you're going?" I asked the brown haired beauty in a teasing voice as I wrapped my arms around her from behind, eliciting a giggle from her.

"I was going to check out this music store, it looks like they have old records in the back," she said while wiggling around in an unconsciously alluring manner as she rubbed her bottom along my nether regions.

"Shall we?" I asked as I grasped her hand in one of my own while opening the door to the shop with the other. No need to alert anyone to the vast change in the trajectory of my thoughts.

"Awesome! Geez, I don't know where to start. Frick! What about everyone else? Won't they want to know where we are? I don't want to wor-" she babbled before I cut her off by biting the soft skin of her neck where I had left a mark the previous day, causing her to let out a squeak and attempt to move away from my persistent mouth. That was before we were interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing behind us. Why must this always happen to me?

"Welcome to Record Mania, my name is Laura Stanley, the owner of the shop, and I thank you for being one of the first to stop by since our grand opening. Just let me know if you need any help," the lady at the cashier counter rambled as Bella blushed and I stood stalk still with my eyes wide.

"Thank you Ms. Stanley, we will certainly let you know. C'mon Bella," I managed to get out before turning around and urging Bella with my non-existent telepathy powers.

"Oh, you're Bella! I knew that I recognized you from somewhere. You're friends with my daughter Jessica, right? How come you never stop by our house? Oh, I'd just love to have some of you girls over for a sleepover at our house for a change. I mean, I understand that your dad worries, but come on... we don't bite!" She said with an annoying laugh at the end and looking expectantly at our bewildered faces. "Oh yeah, before I forget, hun, I found your sweatshirt in the back seat of our car the other day- let me just have Jess go get it for you."

I stood still in bewildered horror as Mrs. Stanley called her daughter to the front of the store and told her to go fetch a sweatshirt that most certainly did not belong to my sweet girl. If I could be more than one-hundred percent sure about something it would be that it was not Bella's clothing that Jessica was told to go get.

"Um, Mrs. Stanley I don't mean to be rude, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Jessica and I don't even talk to each other at school, let alone get along well enough to hang out," Bella spoke up with more than a hint of uncertainty in her tone.

"What do you mean? Jessica says you're always together, well, as often as possible, since you have a new boyfriend," she elaborated with a wink in my direction. "In fact I think she mentioned that it's one of his jackets that you borrowed?" Thankfully she was sounding more uncertain this time.

"Mrs. Stanley, I haven't and don't anticipate ever being Jessica's friend. I don't know why she would tell you any of that but I'd venture to guess that she is...," Bella trailed off as Jessica walked back into the room with a distinctly horrified look on her face once she recognized who we were. I'd venture to guess that things were about to get very interesting.

_

* * *

_**For those of you wanting Jessica Stanley and her clique to get their comeuppance well... they just might! Also I have a twitter and Facebook! You can find me as Le_Crepuscule on Twitter and Le Crepuscule on FB if you're interested. Next update is halfway done and the FGB Bpov is started. Thanks for reading.**

**Remember that REVIEWERS get TEASERS! xoxo  
**


	7. Retribution

**Disclaimer: You know the drill... I own nothing but a cute white kitten.**

**Surprise! Early update ;) Happy Thanksgiving Americans and Happy Thursday to the rest of the world. Ok I hope you all like the outcome. A/n at the bottom, links for clothing and such are on my profile and teasers on my blog (lecrepusculeswords. blogspot. com)**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

_Previously:_

"_What do you mean? Jessica says you're always together, well as often as possible since you have a new boyfriend," she elaborated with a wink in my direction. "In fact I think she mentioned that it's one of his jacket that you borrowed?" Thankfully she was sounding more uncertain this time._

_"Mrs. Stanley, I haven't and don't anticipate ever being Jessica's friend. I don't know why she would tell you any of that but I'd venture a guess that she is...," Bella trailed off as Jessica walked back into the room with a distinctly horrified look on her face once she recognized who we were. _I'd venture a guess that things were about to get very interesting.

**Epov**

"She is what, dear?" Mrs. Stanley's suspicious voice rang out, thus breaking me out of my stupor.

"That she is covering up for whatever it is she _is _doing," I blurted out as the feelings of vindication swam through my body. I could tell that Bella was feeling the same by the way she was biting her lip to keep her smile at bay. _Very interesting, indeed, _I thought as I strategically avoided the hostile glare originating from Jessica Stanley's general direction.

"Give me that," she ground out while snatching the black jacket with some sort of graffiti looking writing emblazoned on it, from the girl's hands. "So then who the hell does _this _belong to?" _I have deduced that the anger levels in the room have drastically risen. Danger Will Robinson, Danger!_

"Um, well I'm not sure, ma'am but...," Bella began before stopping completely and turning towards me with an exasperated look upon her face as the angsty teen let out a completely unfeminine shriek. _Mental note: have both Bella and my hearing checked as soon as possible._

"Really mom! You're going to believe these... _freaks_? Over me? You have _got_ to be kidding!" Jessica exclaimed rather dramatically.

"Well let's see. For one; you've been missing curfew constantly, you're grades are slipping, you come home smelling like a skunk and booze, and don't even get me started on the plane ride." _ I made an executive decision _not_ to ask. _"And secondly; you just called them both freaks!"

"Bu- I, what... no, mom really... what reason do I have to lie? C'mon! And as for the other things, I mean really it's not that big a deal-"

"NOT that big a deal? Oh just wait until your father hears about this! I bet if I were to ask around I could learn a _whole_ lot about this 'no big deal' shit!" Mrs. Stanley was practically vibrating with her anger when she turned and smiled what seemed to have been a forced calm smile in our direction as we tried to covertly exit the store. "Who did you you think this belonged to, dear?" she asked while holding up the offending garment.

"Well I'm not positive but... I _have _seen Mike Newton wearing it at school," Bella explained quietly.

"Mike Newton... of course, it's not-so-little-anymore Mike Newton's. Let's play a guessing game on what it was doing in the backseat of our car as well! Just wait 'til Nina hears about this. You think I'm a strict mother? Just you wait! Well thank you both. And I hate to say this but we will be closing early today for a family... issue. You're both welcome back anytime. Good bye," she announced while practically herding the two of us out the door.

"Well that was...," I began, once the door slammed shut behind us, having no words to express this moment in time.

"Yeah." Apparently neither did Bella.

"I know it's probably 10 different shades of wrong but I hope she _really_ gets what's coming to her. I can't believe how immature and hostile she was towards us."

"It was because of me I'm afraid," I told her watching as an impassioned emotion appeared in her incredulous eyes.

"You don't really believe that do you?"

"Of course I do. Think about it Bella; she was nice to you before I came into the picture. There's just something about me that is _faulty_ and-" I tried to explain only to be cut off by my love.

"Edward, NO! That's not the truth. I can't believe... I bet you didn't know that the moment I pulled up on campus she pointed and laughed at my truck? Or that there's been people keying my car? Or that there's writing all over the girls bathroom; all of which is trash talking me? It's just who she is ok? Most people are like that, they just know how to keep their mouth shut... seems Jessica has a severe problem with that," Bella said with a wicked smirk as she glanced back in the store to see Mrs. Stanley reaming on her daughter.

I had no idea that any of these things had been happening it my girl. Why does it seem that I'm always incapable of being there for her when she really needs it? If only for my peace of mind? I can't believe how much of an idiot I am that I didn't notice any of these occurrences.

"So we should probably find everyone else?" I asked, after clearing my throat awkwardly, if for nothing else than to break the suddenly uncomfortable silence.

"Definitely!"

As we meandered through town looking for the rest of our group I decided now would be a good time to present Bella with the gift I had been carrying around in my pocket in anticipation of the birthday she conveniently neglected to inform me about. _Thank goodness for my snooping mother._

"How about we text them to meet up with us down by the water on Railroad Ave and we can watch the water while we wait? I'm sure Alice or Rosalie finally slipped into a clothing store or something," I said with an endeavor at nonchalance. Judging by the suspicious glance and small smirk on her face I'd say she was onto me, although she left me to have my moment of attempted romance.

"Sure Lover Boy. Whatever you want," she murmured while wrapping her arms around my left bicep and leaning up to place a few chaste kisses on the side of my face.

Dialing the phone I braced myself for the response I was going to get from Alice.

"Yellow?"

"Alice? This is Edward calling. What was that you were saying about the color yellow?" I inquired.

"Gadget seriously, I know who you are and... It was slang. I meant hello; better?" she asked with a small laugh at the end.

"Oh yes. Hello back. Like I was saying this is Edward speaking. I was calling to let you know that Bella and myself will be heading down to the water off of Railroad Ave. Now if you aren't sure which street this is I can give you directions." _Clear and concise._

"Gotcha. Alrighty then we'll meet you down there. No we don't need directions, ass face. I've been here before thank you. We're just walking around aimlessly and your Jasper the paranoid insists that we take this fucked up route just in case someone is following us. Whatever. So we'll see you eventually. Ciao!" With that she hung up on me.

"So I heard from Miranda last night," Bella mentioned on our way through one of the parking lots we were crossing through.

"That must have been nice," I commented.

"It really was, let me tell you. I almost forgot how nice it was to have her kooky self around. She told me that her parents are out of town on business for Christmas this year and since my dad and I usually don't make a big deal out of it she is going to come out for the week. She made a deal with her professors to take her mid-terms early and she'll be out here the day we get out from school. I can't wait for you to meet her! My two best friends meeting each other," she explained with a wistful sigh at the end.

"I'm one of your best friends?" _Sure focus on the one miniscule thing she mentioned, go ahead._

"Well don't tell Miranda but you're _the_ best friend. She's... my... well she's the second best friend. I know that sounds convoluted but it's the truth. With you I can say anything that's on my mind and you won't care. With her she sometimes makes jokes or doesn't understand my ramblings."

"You're wrong," I stated. At her confused expression I expanded on my statement. "I always care mon agnelle. You said that you could say anything on your mind and I wouldn't care but the truth is that I live for those moments. I need you to know that," I said emphatically to which she blushed and smiled brilliantly at me.

As we approached the cement wall that provided a barricade from the street to the rocky shore of the water, I noticed some flyers taped down so harshly it may as well have been laminated (which was wise considering the placement of the parchment and all) and perused the ad that provided information about a bonfire going on in the Quileute reservations Second beach in a few hours.

"That sounds like fun, I haven't been to a bonfire before," Bella murmured while pulling the hood of her inner most jacket (as she was wearing two as well as a sweater over her dress) on her head. She then proceeded to push me down on the cold cement block, set the bags we both had in our hands on the ground, and place herself delicately atop of my legs. I watched as she prepared to pull my arms around her to ensure the most heat, but took the initiative myself; I relished the way that it seemed I was almost caging her to me with my body. It was almost as if I could protect her from anything and everything as long as we stayed just as we were right that moment. I waited until she placed her head beneath my chin before speaking, wanting her to be completely settled and comfortable first and foremost.

"Then we shall go, of course. Perhaps it can be your birthday party?" I asked in such a way that she would _know_ I was onto her.

"You heard about that did you?" she inquired with a giggle and a kiss to my throat. I was proud that I didn't jump or squeak like a prepubescent boy when her cold nose touched the warm, sensitive skin.

"I'm almost astounded that you would think otherwise," I commented.

"Well I just don't like to make a big deal about my birthday." I didn't know what it was in her tone but immediately knew that I did not like it as it seemed to cause her some inner turmoil.

"You're not into birthdays? You, the girl who wore all red, white, and blue on Labor Day and is already preparing for Halloween even though it's only September, isn't into birthdays?" _I didn't believe it._

"I just... don't want to make a big deal about _this_ birthday, alright?" She pleaded with me.

"Why not? You turn eighteen this year, correct? That is a milestone to be celebrated. You being alive and well today, here, with me most of all is something to celebrate mon agnelle," I whispered passionately. Didn't she know the simple fact of her breathing let alone being who she was as a person was something to cherish as well as celebrate?

"I just... my mom...," she whispered in a shaky voice while pushing her body further into my own. And just like that I knew what she meant. It wasn't that she didn't want to celebrate it with me, or was against birthdays in any way... she simply _couldn't_ have this birthday. At least for right now, while her mother and herself had yet to reach an armistice.

"Well how about we keep it between you and I, but go to the bonfire anyways? It can be our own celebration. A celebration of being alive in general? Yes?" I wanted to lift her spirits, almost as much as I wanted to protect her heart from the hurt she was currently battling against.

"I'd like that a lot." That, unknowingly to me, was apparently worthy of a passionate embrace as she slid her tongue past my lips for a soft, warm kiss before I remembered that we had a time restraint and there was a reason that I brought her here.

Reaching into my pocket rapidly, I grabbed the tiny velvet bag that held the gift I had previously placed inside and wrapped my arm around her again prior to speaking.

"Shortly after I met officially met you at school, I was on an errand for my mother at one of the neighbors across town and she sold hand made jewelry. She didn't have enough to pay my mom, like they usually did, that week so she offered a free piece of her jewelry. I was going to tell her not to worry about that I would take care of it, without her knowing of course. That's when I saw this necklace.

"Amongst all of the patterns and other typical gaudy pieces there was this tiny unique piece. It was hand a hand painted, glazed rock with a hole drilled through the middle and yet it seemed to be the most magnificent one. It was different, unique in a stunning way. I couldn't stop thinking about it once I saw it. So I made the trade and left her the cost of the necklace in the tip jar also without her knowledge," I explained while she slid the tiny object out of the pouch and into her open faced palm.

I watched her face as the emotions swam across her stunning features; awe, curiosity, disbelief, confusion, the list went on. Finally she settled into a soft expression with her eyes shining for me.

"Everything you do, Edward... I love every single thing you do," she whispered with a trembling lower lip before smiling widely at me. "You are so entirely beautiful, you know that?"

"Men aren't beautiful," I quietly protested, completely stuck in the gaze she was directing at me.

"You are. You always have been and I just... you're... Frick," she stumbled with a laugh before grabbing my head and pulling it towards her own so she could capture my lips in a kiss that would forever be seared into my brain for the rest of my life. I'm mostly positive that I could live for eternity and I would still remember the magnitude of this kiss.

Slowly she reached her arm around my neck and simultaneously moved us so we could connect at the lips in a slow, yet enthusiastic duel. Taking her bottom lip between my own I massaged it with my tongue before releasing it as I brought my hand up to hold her head to mine. Once my fingers were threaded in her hair I turned her at an angle to allow better access and slipped my tongue into her mouth to meet her own. I already knew every inch of hers from all the exploring we have done before, but every time seems distinctly unlike any other and the feeling they invoke are more powerful each and every time. I would give anything to perpetually stay attached to her face. _Is that too creepy?_

Of course 'there is an end to everything, to good things as well' according to Chaucer. Giving Bella three more brushes of our lips I disentangled us and had her stand up so I could put the necklace I just gave her around her neck.

"So I take it you like the gift?" I asked uncertainly.

"I love it more than I can express to you, Edward." Another kiss; lucky me.

"Hey diddle diddle!" Emmett called out to us through the window of the vehicle as the pulled up next to us.

"Oh lord," Alice moaned from the back seat; she knew that a conversation like this could do no good.

"Why do you think the dish runs away with the spoon? I mean why no fork?" he mentioned.

"Not everyone can have that much fun," Rosalie retorted with a wicked smirk and a high five with Emmett as we both entered the jeep.

"You know it really is unwise to play with forks. On top of being dangerous it really is unsanitary," Jasper replied while flipping through a book that he'd purchased when we were in the book store. I'm pretty sure it was a book chronicling various conspiracy theories.

"Is he for real?" Alice whispered to Rosalie while looking at the back of Jasper's head as if he was growing heads like a polycephaly.

Choosing to ignore her unfounded distaste for my friend I brought up what I hoped would be a good plan for the evening.

"Bella and I came across a flyer for a local band that will be playing at the bonfire in La Push this evening and were wondering if you would be interested in joining us?"

"With the proper clothing I don't see why not," Jasper agreed.

"Emmett and I were already planning on it, actually," Rosalie mentioned.

"That sounds like fun. I just need to stop at home and change," Alice said.

I smiled as Bella expressed her enthusiasm and cuddled closer to me while we continued to drive back towards Forks.

_**3.14159265358979323846**_

With the proper change of clothing (me in a simple pair of jeans, t-shirt and jacket and Bella in much the same only with a blue I love nerds shirt on with some sort of square monster; I fully loved the sentiment by the way) we were off towards the beach to join the rest of the people attending the blue bonfire event.

I was amazed with the number of cars that decided to attend the rock and driftwood filled beach to see something that they have seen hundreds of times if they've lived here for awhile. Who was I to judge when I was one of them myself though? I looked around at the set up of the event and noticed that a local diner was set up in a small booth selling non-alcoholic drinks (probably to help discourage underage drinking) and that we had arrived just as the band was taking a twenty minute break; the pulsating sound of tribal music was playing from the speakers in the meantime. I had to admit it was pretty impressive with the height they had going on the fire. The flickering colors from the flames were also mesmerizing if you stared long enough.

"Wow," Bella whispered with the awe clear in her tone and expression.

"You like?"

"I love," she replied while looking right at me and bringing a hand to my cheek as she smiled a small, private smile at me.

"Alright children rules for the evening: don't venture off on your own, stay far enough away from the fire so you don't catch your very flammable clothing, use a buddy system, and for the love of Bart Simpson don't play with the fire because I won't be changing your sheets tonight, are we clear?" Emmett listed.

"That's actually a myth," I announced.

"I have a theory on it though. Maybe children would be so enthralled with the fire that they would forget to go to the bathroom before heading to sleep? Therefore they would pee the bed; it could have been the start of the old wives tales. I have no proof on the matter, however, it is said that every rumor has a truth to it... so who knows?," Bella mentioned.

"Interesting," I commented before looking around the car and noticing we were alone. Apparently we were taking too long.

Stepping out of the vehicle I turned back around and grabbed Bella's waist and picked her up, to which she instinctively wrapped her legs around my hips. Unable to stop myself I leaned in and began to place soft, suckling kisses along her jaw and worked my way down her throat until I came across the hickey I'd previously left on her just yesterday. Like a magnet I was immediately accosted by the need to work on it some more; that's exactly what I did. Being so caught up in the moment and the way Bella's body was completely molded around my own I didn't hear Alice approaching.

"Oh gag me! Come on Gadget outta the way, I forgot my purse in here," she called out while whacking me with some sort of fabric to the back of the head. I briefly considered simply moving over a bit and continuing on with our spectacle when my Bella began wiggling herself out of my grasp much to my chagrin.

"Sorry Alice, I'll get it for you," Bella said sweetly while climbing back in the Jeep.

"I love your jacket," one of Alice's friends, Jersey, complimented when Bella climbed back out with the miniscule bag.

"Thanks."

"I've seen you around... Isabella, right?" the other girl, Shel, asked while looking at Bella with her head tilted to the side.

"Yeah, or Bella. I prefer Bella," mon agnelle corrected while grabbing my hand and smiling at the girls.

"Maybe I'll see you around school?"

"Definitely!" With that they turned back around and disappeared towards the crowd.

"Huh. Who'd have thought?" All I could do was shake my head. Looks like things were changing here in Forks.

"I didn't know the fire would be _blue_. I've never seen blue fire off of a stove before!" Bella exclaimed as she hopped around in front of me to hold both of my hands and walk backwards towards the group.

"Indeed. It's actually the salt in the driftwood that causes that reaction in the fire. I looked it up right away after seeing it the first time. I love to see the different reactions chemicals can have to each other."

"You think you'll be some sort of a chemist then? After college?" Bella asked.

"I don't think so. I'm more intrigued with electronics and technology than chemicals."

"Hmm... I want to bake," she said.

"To bake?"

"Yeah I want to have my own bakery where I can make all kinds of sweets and pastries. You don't know this but I have a serious sweet tooth. I've always loved baking and seeing what different flavors can taste good together or what different textures work best. I love creating things. I don't know it probably sounds ridiculous but... that would be my ideal career."

"I can't wait to be the first customer to purchase something of yours," I told her as sincerely as possible wanting her to understand how much I couldn't wait for her to achieve her dream.

"You think I could do it? I want to... so much do I want to but...," she trailed off and bit her lip while I settled us down on a sturdy looking log with a nice view of the massive flames.

"I think you are capable of so much more than you believe of yourself, mon agnelle." That shy smile she graces me with could make my knees weak. Fortunately I was sitting.

"I love this music. I've always loved the music that the tribe plays. It's one of the first things that got me into dancing as a child. I had one mixed in on a tape when I was little. Found it in one of my boxes and loved it the minute I heard it. I never told my mom because I was afraid she'd make me get rid of it; being that it was Charlie's."

"Go... I know you want to, go dance. Go show me your moves," I encouraged her with a wink and relished in the way that she blushed lightly before getting up. I sat like a statue, completely enchanted as I watched her lithe form move in the most seductive manor. I only looked up when I felt someone sit down next to me, though even then I only spared Rosalie a moment of recognition prior to turning my attention back towards my Bella.

"Can I ask a stupid question?" Rosalie asked me out of the blue.

"Better than anyone I know," I responded with a smirk as I continued to watch Bella twirl and jump and bend and move her body in the most... the only word to describe it is beautiful. In the most beautiful way. I know she said that she took dancing classes, but this is... there are no words. She seemed almost ethereal in the light of the bonfire light as it flickered and she smiled widely at me before twirling again with a giggle.

"Oh I see! You find a girl and now you're full of jokes, right? I see how it is, punk!"

"I'm sorry, you were trying to be sincere and I was out of line. What is it you wanted to ask?" I was honestly curious as Rosalie isn't one for many words in general.

"Only trying, huh?" I know what she's doing, she tends to use humor when she's uncomfortable. I continued to stare at her with a small smile on my face before moving my gaze back to my sweet girl.

"Are you happy?" she inquired, her question seeming innocent although I knew what she was asking me.

Before Bella arrived I wasn't happy. Not really. Content? Possibly. She was asking me that even though I look happy and sound happy if I truly was because what many don't know about Rosalie is that she is an honestly caring person who looks out for her friends and family in every way. I met Rosalie when Emmett brought her to Thanksgiving dinner one year, wanting to show off the girl who had managed to enrapture him in such a short amount of time. She was shy, quiet, and extremely well mannered.

I had found her when I was outside getting some air when she burst out of the back door to where I was sitting and cried her eyes out. I've never been good with emotions; they aren't stable. They make no definitive sense as far as science goes unless you want me to tell you what the emotion does to your body and how they came to be. Not the reasons behind them. I was at a loss.

I had crept into the house and retrieved the box of tissues sitting next to the phone and an extra blanket out of the linen closet with no one paying me any mind; Emmett was helping my mom with something heavy or out of reach, I'm unsure. I'd approached the weeping girl without a word and set the items beside her with a sad smile before walking away.

I was told by her later that she had lost her parents recently; thus that being the first holiday without them. I knew how she was feeling to an extent and we bonded over that. When I was first told that Carlisle wasn't my biological father, I had a hard time coming to terms with the facts and it was almost like I was dealing with a loss of sorts. I may have only been a little less than a decade old at the time but I don't think that made a difference. It was tough.

Looking to my side at where Rosalie was sitting beside me on the log that Bella previously occupied I uttered with an absolute certainty and no hesitance.

"Entirely."

* * *

**Did you like it? I hope so. Now the next chapter will be us catching up on some time and I hope to have it out this weekend b/c I'd like to do a scene of Thanksgiving. There will be an introduction of a new (possibly 2) character(s). **

**Keep in mind that REVIEWERS get TEASERS of the next chp.*hint hint, wink wink***

**xoxo  
**


End file.
